He and some other senior policemen had been demoted, I think from Commissioner of Police (CP) to Deputy Commissioner. It was untidy and unjust.
I had known Mr Solomon Arase when he was serving as Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun. A very efficient officer and good man, if ever there was one.
When he, therefore, suffered that unfair demotion, as the person supervising the Editorial Board of The Sun Newspapers then, I got the Board to discuss the matter, and we did a strongly worded editorial, condemning the injustice.
The powers that be must have been listening. A short while later, they reversed the infamous decision. Arase and others got their promotions back.
And that was when I got the phone call. Solomon Arase was effusive in his appreciation. A lifelong friendship began.
We stayed in touch since that time, till his sad passage on August 31, 2025, aged 69.
We were looking forward to June 2026, when he would have turned 70, and we would have been able to celebrate him, and returned some of the good things he did to us. Alas, it was not to be. Sad. Painful.
When I was appointed Special Adviser on Media and Publicity by President Muhammadu Buhari on May 31, 2015, it was the first time I would live in Abuja. And IG Arase made sure I felt at home in an uncharted territory. He showed me friendship, making sure my every need was met.
A year later, he had to retire statutorily, since he had turned 60. After the pulling out ceremony, I was at the church for his Thanksgiving Service, and also at the reception. A good man had taken a honorable bow out of service.
Later that night, I visited President Buhari at home, and knowing how much he cherished Arase, I sympathised with him.
And the President said: “I am sorry to see Arase go. Such a brilliant and efficient IG. I wish he had stayed longer with me. A big loss, as he had to retire according to the law.”
To show his appreciation further, President Buhari hosted Arase to a private dinner, where he said very good things about him.
Some years later, when there was vacancy at the Police Service Commission, the President did not hesitate in nominating his friend as the Chairman. Sadly, about 6 weeks stood between the home call of the two great men. Buhari at 82, on July 13, Arase, 69, on August 31.
Let me tell you a story about Arase’s humanity and humaneness. Sometime in early 2016, a friend who knew I was close to the police boss approached me. He had a relation who was a retired middle level police officer, but who had suffered serious injury in the line of duty. He had been holding a tear gas canister in his hands, when the thing accidentally exploded, blowing off the man’s palm and a couple of fingers. Till he retired from service, nothing was done to rehabilitate him. Could I talk to Arase for help?
My friend gave me the relevant papers, including the letters of appeal that had been done to police authorities in the past. I called the IG, asked for an appointment, and went to the Force Headquarters.
Arase listened to me patiently, and was quite shocked that nothing had been done for the injured man, till he retired. He checked the papers, saw that it contained the man’s phone number. He dialed it.
“This is Solo Arase, “ he told the man at the other end of the line.
“Solo what?” the man enquired.
“Solo Arase, the IGP”
The man began to scream. “My Oga, my Oga, the IG. God bless you sir. You are calling me? You are calling me? This is wonderful.”
Arase told him to calm down, and tell his story. He listened carefully. He then pledged that the matter would be looked into, that he would hand it to those who would treat it with despatch.
He then promised the man: “Please stay in touch with me, and let me know the developments.”
I learnt a lesson in humility, in humaneness, in compassion and benevolence. If only we can relate in that manner with our fellow human beings, especially to those who life has been rather unkind.
About a week before we left government in May 2023, Arase organised a farewell dinner for me at a highbrow restaurant in Maitama, Abuja. He had brought in my close friends from different parts of the country. Grand, very grand.
I am glad that the event happened, as I was able to thank the Arases, (his dear wife was there) for all they did for me in my eight years in Abuja. No Christmas season passed without a show of goodwill from the former IG. A very good man, I say again.
When I launched my memoir, Working with Buhari, in January 2024, Arase showed himself a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He gave great support in all ways.
His passage shook me, sent me into the doldrums. Such a man should ideally live forever. But God has not ordained life to be that way.
Sleep well, my dear senior friend. You will never be forgotten. You were special in very many ways. As a cop, a lawyer, an academic, author of many seminal books. Whence cometh another Solo Arase? Eternal rest grant him O Lord.
*Adesina, OON, FNGE, was Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, 2015-2023.
