A former Central Bank Governor and the pioneer, indigenous Managing Director of the New Nigerian Newspapers, Mallam Adamu Ciroma is dead.
He passed on at the age of 84 on Thursday at the Turkish Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja.
Alhaji Tajudeen Tijjani of the New Nigerian Newspaper said; “the deceased was a great public servant who left an indelible mark especially as the first indigenous Editor and Managing Director of the organisation and also as the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor during the Military regime. The late elder statesman was a man of great intellect vision and politician who was a strong pillar that continues to support the unity and stability of Nigeria.”
Mallam Adamu Ciroma, born on the 20th of November 1934 in Potiskum, Yobe State was a one time Minister of Finance and Central Bank Governor during the first term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In 1979, Ciroma was a Presidential aspirant of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) who contested in the party’s presidential primaries but emerged third.
The deceased was briefly the secretary of the NPN and later served at various times as Minister for Industry, Agriculture and Finance. As a senior cabinet Minister in the Shagari administration, he played pivotal roles in the implementation of the president’s agenda especially in the areas of food production and also worked with International agencies to develop an Agricultural Development Project (ADP).
In September 1983, he was made the Chairman of a Presidential transition committee, which further demonstrated the trust the President had in his capabilities.
The committee was mandated to make proposals on how to re-structure the Nigerian government which was going through a crisis of confidence.
I salute Mallam Adamu Ciroma for his disciplined life. I found joy subscribing articles while he held sway at New Nigerian Newspapers. He was detribalised and nationalistic in his attitude and thinking.
His younger brother Liman was a super Perm Sec along with Ahmed Joda and others and their discipline shone through as they were clean of corruption from start to finish of their enviable careers in public service.
I now wish his family and their numerous bossom friends and associates would take heart in the passing of one of the greatest minds in Nigerian technocracy, who spruced himself and did not besmudge himself with self enrichment virus that has bedevilled our public service through the better part of this succeeding generation.