By Shola Oshunkeye
The 18th Inspector General of Police, Dr. Solomon Arase, has taken office as the fifth Chairman of the Police Service Commission, PSC.
He was sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting usually chaired by the President.
By today’s inauguration, Arase replaces the former PSC Chairman, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, who resigned on September 17, 2022, at the height of a controversy between the Commission and the Nigeria Police Force under the current Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, over recruitment of police constables as well as moves by the National Assembly to transfer constitutional powers and the mandate of the PSC, as an oversight body, to the Inspector General’s Office.
Watchers of developments in the Nigeria Police Force believe that the appointment of Arase, who holds a PhD in Public Law from the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, could not have come at a better time than this when the force needs all hands on deck to shore up public trust and confidence in the service.
Arase, a recipient of the National Police Medal, and holder of the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, CFR, comes to the job with a lot of confidence and goodwill that he enjoys within and outside the Force, as well as a huge wealth of experience he has garnered over the years.
His major first major assignment would be to strike a good synergy with critical stakeholders in the force, the Inspector General and his management team, erase suspicion and fashion out the best ways to help the force regain the confidence of Nigerians to keep them safe and policing the country with dignity.
Born Solomon Ehigiator Arase, on June 21, 1956, to a father from Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State and a mother from Sabongida Ora in Owan West Local Government Area, Arase, who turns 67 this June, graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1980, with a degree in political science. After his mandatory national service, he enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force in 1981. A highly resourceful mind who is constantly hungry for knowledge, he acquired other degrees, including: an LL.B from the University of Benin, LL.M from the Lagos State University (specialising in Corporate Management and Finance Law), and a Master’s in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan.
Dr. Arase retired from the Nigeria Police Force as IGP on June 21, 2016, the day he clocked 60 years of age, and President Muhammadu Buhari named him as the fifth Chairman of the Police Service Commission on January 24, 2023.
Arase, who was conferred with the Nigerian national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, CFR, in October, 2022, is happily married with God-fearing children.
