Adamu Liman Ciroma
Adamu Liman Ciroma | |
|---|---|
| Secretary to the Federal Military Government | |
| In office 1977–1979 | |
| President | Olusegun Obasanjo |
| Preceded by | Allison Ayida |
| Succeeded by | Shehu Musa |
| Head of the Civil Service of the Federation | |
| In office 1977–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Allison Ayida |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 September 1930 Potiskum, Northern Region, British Nigeria |
| Died | 23 May 2004 (aged 73) Kaduna, Nigeria |
| Spouse | Madiya Ciroma |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Institute of Archaeology, University of London University of Birmingham |
| Occupation | Archaeologist, civil servant |
Adamu Liman Ciroma CFR (30 September 1930 – 23 May 2004), better known as Liman Ciroma, was a Nigerian archaeologist and civil servant who served as Secretary to the Federal Military Government and Head of the Federal Civil Service of Nigeria between 1977 and 1979.[1] Before entering public administration, he trained and worked as an archaeologist and has been described as Nigeria's first university-trained or professionally qualified Nigerian archaeologist.[1][2] From the 1940s to the 1950s, he was an archaeologist in the Nigerian Department of Antiquities and participated in the excavation of Ile-Ife, Benin City and Igbo-Ukwu. He went on to serve in the Northern and North-eastern State civil service before becoming a permanent secretary in the Federal Government, retiring when Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1979.[1][3] He subsequently moved into the civil service, serving in the Northern Region and North-Eastern State governments before becoming a federal permanent secretary. He retired from the civil service following Nigeria's return to elected civilian government in 1979.[4]
Early life
Ciroma was born in Potiskum, in Bornu province, on 30 September 1930 and was from the Fika Emirate.[1] He was educated at Potiskum Elementary School, Borno Middle School in Maiduguri and Kaduna College (now Barewa College). While at Kaduna College, he was introduced to archaeology by Bernard Fagg, who recruited him as a survey assistant to help in cataloguing antiquities. He worked with Fagg until 1953 while the Nigerian Antiquities Service was being formed at Jos.[1]
In 1953, Ciroma went to Britain to study archaeology and history on a government scholarship. He attended lectures at the Institute of Archaeology of the University of London, South-West Essex Technical College and the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1959 with an honours degree in archaeology.[1] According to The Guardian, he was the first Nigerian to graduate with an honours degree in archaeology.[1] Subsequent archaeological literature also identifies Adamu Ciroma as the only university-educated Nigerian archaeologist at the time of his return to Nigeria in 1959.[2]
Archaeology career
Ciroma began his archaeological career in Nigeria in 1949 as a technical assistant in the Nigerian Antiquities Service. After finishing his studies in Britain, he returned to Nigeria as a professional archaeologist.[1][5] Ciroma's contributions to Nigerian archaeology include his work at Ile-Ife, Benin and Igbo-Ukwu. Working with Bernard Fagg, he participated in the archaeological and restoration works at Ife, particularly in relation to the Opa Oranyan. In Benin, Ciroma took part in the rescue excavation that was conducted when the new palace for the Mid-Western House of Assembly was being built.[1][6] Ciroma also worked with British archaeologist Thurstan Shaw, who supervised the excavation at Igbo-Ukwu.[3] The contributions of the Igbo-Ukwu excavation to Nigerian archaeology have since been documented, with Ciroma identified as the only other professional Nigerian archaeologist present in the Department of Antiquities during Shaw's excavation.[2]
By 1960, Ciroma had been promoted to curator of the National Museum in Lagos and acting deputy director of the Department of Antiquities.[1][5]
Civil Service career
In 1961, Adamu Liman Ciroma left archaeology to join the Northern Nigerian civil service as an assistant secretary in the Premier's Office in Kaduna.[1] He served during the premiership of Ahmadu Bello and spent the next two years working as an administrator in various appointments, including deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, provincial secretary in Minna and the acting deputy secretary in the Northern Nigerian Premier's Office.[4] He was permanent secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Community Development between 1965 and 1967.[4]
In 1967, Nigeria was re-divided into twelve states, and Ciroma joined the staff of the newly formed North-eastern State. He continued to serve there until 1971, when he became the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education.[4]
Ciroma returned to the Federal Government in 1971 as permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industries, where he served until 1975. From 1975–77 he was permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, where The Guardian notes that he played a leading role in the expansion of Nigeria's universities during his tenure.[4]
Secretary to the Federal Military Government
In 1977, Obasanjo's military government appointed him as Secretary to the Federal Military Government and Head of the Federal Civil Service. He held the two posts concurrently.[4][1][7]
Ciroma continued to serve as Secretary to the Federal Military Government and Head of the Federal Civil Service until the transition to the Second Republic in 1979, when the post of head of service was dissolved[7] when the Federal Government reverted to democratic rule and transferred responsibility for administration to the President.[1][5] He finally retired from the civil service in 1979.[5]
Post-retirement activities
After retiring from the civil service in 1979, Adamu Ciroma served as a director of Tate and Lyle Nigeria, chairman of UTC Nigeria and First City Merchant Bank.[5] His activities in this period have been documented by researchers studying the connections between Nigerian military governments and private corporations. Ciroma is recorded as having been chairman of UTC and Tate and Lyle Nigeria before eventually becoming a director of First City Merchant Bank.[8] In 1986, he was appointed Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Ibadan, a post that he held until 1992 and during which he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the university in 1995.[9]
In 1994, military ruler Sani Abacha appointed him as a member of the seven-man Review Panel on the Civil Service Reforms, which was chaired by his former colleague Allison Ayida. The panel was asked to review the roles and responsibilities of the civil service, as well as assessing reforms made to it during the transition to democracy. The group's recommendations were sent to the Federal Government the following year.[10]
In 2003, Ciroma was deputy chairman of the Federal Government's Technical Committee on the Reform of Local Government Councils, and then acting chairman after the death of the Etsu Nupe, Umaru Sanda Ndayako, in September 2003. The committee submitted its report to the Government the following month.[11] The committee examined possible reforms to the structure and operation of Nigeria's local government system.[12]
Honours and titles
In 1979, he was honoured as Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic. In 1993, he was installed as Ciroman Fika, a traditional title in the Fika Emirate.[1] According to his obituary in The Guardian, the Ciroma was second to the Emir in status within the Emirate.[1] The University of Ibadan also awarded him several Honorary Degrees, including Doctor of Laws, prior to bestowing its own honorary Doctor of Laws degree on him in 1995.[9]
Personal life and death
Liman Ciroma was a Muslim and undertook the hajj to Mecca.[1] He was married to Madiya Ciroma and had five children. After his retirement, the family resided in Kaduna.[1] However, he died in Kaduna on 23 May 2004, aged 73.[1] According to an interview with one of his colleagues, he had complained of chest pains before being taken to a hospital in Kaduna, where he subsequently died.[13]
Legacy
Ciroma's contributions to archaeology have appeared in several Nigerian sources, which identified him as one of the country's early professional archaeologists.[2][3] Similarly, there have been reports concerning his long and distinguished service to the country as a civil servant. His work as a civil servant culminated in him serving simultaneously as Nigeria's secretary to the Federal Military Government and head of the Federal Civil Service.[1] In addition, his contributions to the development of Nigerian education and institutions of higher learning have also appeared in print in Nigeria. An autobiography, published posthumously as Testing the Grit of Public Service, was reviewed and publicly launched at Arewa House in Kaduna in January 2019.[14]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Moloney, Liz (30 June 2004). "Liman Ciroma". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 LaViolette, Adria; Ezeife, Christopher; Shaw, Pamela Jane; Onwuejeogwu, Matthew (2025). "A multivocal case study of decoloniality in archaeological exploration in Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria (1938–2024)". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2025.2517469. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 Hellman. The development of archaeology and museums in colonial and postcolonial Nigeria (PhD thesis). Emory University. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teniola, Eric (26 September 2021). "Asiodu, the last titan after Ahmed Joda". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "CIROMA, Alhaji Adamu Liman". Biographical Legacy and Research Foundation. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Connah, Graham. The Archaeology of Benin: Excavations and Other Researches in and around Benin City, Nigeria. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 Aligbe, Chris. "Prince Michael Dosu Oyelude: One year exit of an icon and mentor". The Punch. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Mohammed (1985). The Nigerian State and the Political Economy of Dependence (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Warwick. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 "University Calendar" (PDF). University of Ibadan. 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Main Report of the Review Panel on the Civil Service Reforms (PDF) (Report). Federal Government of Nigeria. 1995. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Local Government Reforms and Democratic Development in Nigeria". KIU Journal of Humanities. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Foundations for Urban Development in Africa: The Legacy of Akin Mabogunje (PDF) (Report). World Bank. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Remembering Adamu Liman Ciroma, ten years on (1)". Daily Trust. 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- ↑ Dori, Gambo (7 February 2019). "Testing the grit of the Public service". Vanguard. Retrieved 24 August 2026.