Opinion
IGP Kayode Egbetokun in the Eyes of a Mentee -By Zayd Ibn Isah
During that visit, I informed him about my wedding in a manner reminiscent of killing two birds with one stone. He congratulated me warmly and then asked whether I was still serving in my former office. At that moment, I sensed that a transition was imminent. It became clear that he valued my skills and genuinely wanted me to work more closely with him.
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 discipline.
I first encountered IGP Egbetokun when he was Commissioner of Police in Kwara State. As a young cadet officer undergoing training at the Nigeria Police Academy, I wrote a drama titled We Are All Guilty. Financial limitations prevented me from publishing it until my final year at the University.
Luckily, I was posted to Kwara State for my compulsory one-year attachment after my Passing Out Parade and Presidential Commissioning by the then President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. There, I met my benefactor and mentor, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, PhD.
I went to his office with a formal letter seeking approval for the presentation of my book, which later took place at the Foundation of the late Justice Akanbi in Ilorin. Despite being scheduled to leave the Command on transfer the very next day, he received me warmly. He expressed regret that he would not be physically present at the event. Yet, in an act that defined his character, he left a written note for his successor, directing that I be supported.
That singular gesture was my first lesson in thoughtful leadership.
IGP Kayode Egbetokun is a voracious reader and a true lover of books. During our conversation, he asked how I funded the publication. When I told him it was from my salary, he paused thoughtfully. Then came the question that crowned that historic day: “Would you work with me?”
Without hesitation, I answered, “Yes, of course.”
Inwardly, I smiled and thought to myself, Who would not want to work with a selfless man like you? Only someone who does not appreciate good fortune.
He gave me his contact, and we remained in touch through phone conversations. When I was transferred from Kwara State to the Office of the Force Public Relations Officer, I informed him. He congratulated me and told me to “wait” for him, as though he knew greater responsibilities lay ahead.
Our bond grew even stronger when he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector-General of Police and posted to Zone 7, Abuja. Around that time, I became one of his major book suppliers. Our conversations often revolved around ideas, policy, institutional reforms, and literature. His intellectual curiosity was infectious.
When he was later appointed as the 22nd indigenous Inspector-General of Police, I was filled with indescribable joy. However, I did not wait for his appointment as IGP before advancing in my own journey. My late boss, IGP Solomon Arase (Rtd), had already appointed me as his Media Aide immediately after he became Chairman of the Police Service Commission.
I remember vividly when I broke the news of my appointment to IGP Egbetokun in his office at Zone 7. He looked pleasantly surprised and asked, half in jest, “When did you even get to know him?” I reminded him that I had once written a piece about him which he appreciated, and he had told me then to be his “eye in the media.”
History repeated itself when I later visited him to seek his approval and support for the publication of my now-published book, The Nigerian Spirit is Special. Instantly, he granted approval and personally supported the publication. One of the attributes of the IGP that people rarely talk about is generosity. He is naturally a giver and a lover of ideas.
When I presented him with a complimentary copy of the book he had single-handedly sponsored, I also sought his approval for the public presentation. He not only approved but graciously agreed to serve as Chief Host.
During that visit, I informed him about my wedding in a manner reminiscent of killing two birds with one stone. He congratulated me warmly and then asked whether I was still serving in my former office. At that moment, I sensed that a transition was imminent. It became clear that he valued my skills and genuinely wanted me to work more closely with him.
The rest, as they say, is history.
In barely one month of working directly with him, I have learned lessons that no classroom can teach: discipline without harshness, authority without arrogance, accessibility without loss of command, and intellectual depth without pretension.
In the eyes of the public, he is the Inspector-General of Police.
In the eyes of the institution, he is a reform-driven professional.
But in my eyes, he remains the mentor who saw promise in a young officer with a big dream and chose to nurture it.
And sometimes, that is the truest mark of leadership.
Zayd Ibn Isah
lawcadet1@gmail.com
