Nigeria, Feb. 16 -- Most people who know me through my late boss, Solomon E Arase (CFR), former chairman of the Police Service Commission, are often surprised whenever I tell them that I met the current Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun (PhD), long before I ever met the late icon, IGP Solomon Arase (rtd.).

To many, my professional identity is closely tied to the late Arase, an extraordinary leader under whom I had the rare privilege of serving as his media aide when he held sway as chairman of the Police Service Commission. But life, in its subtle orchestration, had already crossed my path with that of IGP Egbetokun years earlier, in circumstances that quietly shaped my understanding of leadership, humility, and institutional...