Why I Kept Solomon Arase as Police IG After Taking Over From Goodluck Jonathan - Buhari Opens Up

President Buhari, on Thursday, opened up on retaining Solomon Arase as Inspector General.

The President made the statement in Lagos where he spokeon several issues including revealing why he retained the former Inspector-General Police, Solomon Arase when he assumed office. 

Vanguard reports that this came as different speakers took turn to commend the laudable achievements of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State since assumption of office on May 29, 2015, at the public presentation of a book launch, “Cascade of Change: A decade of liberal thoughts.”, written by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, held at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. 

The discusses on the book centred on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s first year in office. The President, who was the Special Guest of Honour, while speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said he retained Arase not because of his strategy and tactics as a police, but because of Arase’s intellect and capacity as an operation person. 

Adesina, quoted Arase as saying that it was very strange for him to have been invited for a farewell dinner. 

Adesina, who spoke about the reaction of the immediate past IGP to a farewell dinner organised in his honour by Buhari, said Arase had expected that he would be sacked before the end of his tenure. 

His words: “While he (Arase) was speaking at the dinner in Abuja, he told the President that it was very strange for him to have been invited for a farewell dinner, because, what we know in Nigeria is that, you are sacked on pages of newspapers.” 

According to Adesina, Arase, also had the fear that, since, he was inherited by Buhari’s administration, he was not sure that he would be retained, so everyday, he had the trepidation that he would hear that he had been removed.

But quoting President Buhari on why he retained Arase till the end of his tenure, Adesina said: “When it was the turn of the president to speak, he explained why he kept Arase as IGP. 

“He said, he saw the quality of his mind and he saw the quality of things, he had written. You know Arase has many publications to his credit and he also saw his capacity as an operation person and he decided to keep him till his tenure expired.” According to Adeshina, 

“Mr. President appreciates sound mind and intellect and that shows the goodwill he has for Mr. Steve Ayorinde, the author of the book we are launching today.”

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