Born in Saboeiro, Ceará, Lima moved to São Paulo as a teenager.

He worked at Light S.A. and at Telecomunicações de São Paulo until he retired from the latter.

He graduated with a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo in 1972.

In 1976, he entered the political scene of São Paulo, influenced by city councilmember José Freitas Nobre.

One of the few acts that were enacted during his time as mayor was the renaming of Estrada do Lejeado in the São Miguel Paulista district to Avenida Nordestina.