Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

A former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (1975-1977), Mallam Adamu Ciroma, is dead.

Aged 83, Ciroma, also a former Finance Minister (1999-2003) during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, was said to have passed away yesterday at the Turkish Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja after a protracted illness.

Ciroma was a major actor during the political shift from military to civilian rule in 1999 as a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Born November 20, 1934, in Potiskum, Yobe State, Ciroma was one of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) presidential aspirants who contested in the NPN presidential primary in 1979.

Ciroma was later secretary of the NPN and served at various times as Minister for Industries, Agriculture and Finance during the Shehu Shagari regime.