Adamu Liman Ciroma

Adamu Liman Ciroma (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. 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. 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. 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.

Early life Ciroma was born in Potiskum, in Bornu province, on 30 September 1930 and was from the Fika Emirate. 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. Ciroma also worked with British archaeologist Thurstan Shaw, who supervised the excavation at Igbo-Ukwu.

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 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.

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.

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. The committee examined possible reforms to the structure and operation of Nigeria's local government system.

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.

Legacy Ciroma's contributions to archaeology have appeared in several Nigerian sources, which identified him as one of the country's early professional archaeologists.