Former IGP Solomon Arase Emerges As The New Chairman Police Service Commission – SIXT-MEDIA LANE CONSULT
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase as Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC).
The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
In a letter at plenary on Tuesday, Senate President Ahmad Lawan based his request on Sections 153 (1) and 154 (1) of the constitution as amended.
If confirmed, Arase will succeed Musiliu Smith, another former IGP. Smith resigned in controversial circumstances last year.
Clara Ogunbiyi, a retired judge, stepped into the office in acting capacity after the resignation of Smith.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Arase as IGP in 2015 after sacking Suleiman Abba for alleged disloyalty.
Prior to his appointment as IGP, Arase led Nigeria’s top intelligence gathering unit, the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau.
Born on June 21, 1956 in Owan West Local Government, Edo State, he received his undergraduate degree in political science from Ahmadu Bello University in 1980.
On December 1, 1981, he was recruited into the Nigerian Police. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Benin and a master’s degree from the University of Lagos.
Arase served in various capacities in the police force, including as Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State and as Assistant Inspector General in the intelligence gathering unit. He is a Nigerian Defence Academy Fellow who served in Namibia during a United Nations peacekeeping mission.
