PMB Did Not Sack Solomon Arase For A Reason – Femi Adesina

The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina has revealed why the president didn’t sack former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase when he assumed office on May 29, 2015.

Arase was one of the last minute appointments made by former president, Goodluck Jonathan, but was the only one who was retained by Buhari.

According to Adesina, Buhari explained, during a farewell dinner for Arase, that he retained him because of the quality of his mind.

“When it was the turn of the President to speak, he explained why he kept Arase as IGP,” Adesina said during the public presentation of a book “Cascade of Change: A Decade Of Liberal Thoughts” by Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde on Thursday, June 23, 2016.

“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.

“While he (Arase) was speaking at the dinner, 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.

“Arase, also had the fear that, since, he was inherited by Buhari’s administration, he was not sure that he would be retained; so every day, he had the trepidation that he would hear that he had been removed,” he added.

Arase vacated the office on Tuesday, June 21, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60.

Meanwhile, Buhari has appointed Ibrahim Kpotum Idris as the new Inspector General of Police.