Daily Trust reports that the elder statesman died in an Abuja hospital on Thursday following a protracted illness.

Ciroma who was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), died on Thursday, July 5, at the Turkish Hospital, Abuja, various reports say.

He was 84 years of age.

Ciroma served as CBN Governor from September 1975 to June 1977.

He was Finance Minister at the beginning of the Fourth Republic, between 1999 and 2003, during the first term of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Ciroma was also Chairman of Obasanjo’s 2003 re-election campaign organisation.

He was in active politics until his death.