The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Kayode Ajulo (SAN), has said Nigeria’s challenges in youth development are rooted in poor implementation of existing policies rather than a lack of legal frameworks.
Ajulo made this known on Tuesday, during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he spoke extensively on governance, youth inclusion, and institutional inefficiencies.
He maintained that while Nigeria has enacted several laws and policies targeted at empowering young people, the real issue lies in the failure of institutions to translate those frameworks into tangible outcomes.
According to him, there exists a wide gap between policy conception and execution, a problem he described as systemic.
“It is about implementation, it is about implementation and, if I must say, political will. But my being in government recently, I realized that sometimes you may even have the political will, but the question is who are those championing it, who are those running it, who are those driving that implementation?
Because as an Attorney General, most of my job is to come up with policies and try to drive them, but I will not go to the streets to enforce them, it will be some other people, and that is exactly where the problem of implementation comes in.”
“WE ARE OVERBURDENED WITH LAWS” — AJULO IDENTIFIES POLICY-EXECUTION GAP
He explained that even where leadership shows willingness to drive reforms, outcomes are ultimately determined by those responsible for execution.
Ajulo added that the recurring failure in implementation has led to a situation where policies exist largely on paper without meaningful impact on the lives of young Nigerians.
“Nigeria, if we are being honest with ourselves, is not lacking in laws. In fact, there was no time Nigeria can be said to be lacking in laws. If anything, we are overburdened with several laws and regulations, but the issue is the rightful application and utilization of these laws. That is what is lacking, and that is what is affecting development across board.”
He further pointed to structural and ethical challenges within institutions as contributing factors to the problem.
According to him, personal interests and systemic loopholes often override national objectives.
“Some of us seem to be selfish, some of us seem to be operating within our own interests, and we forget that the essence of the rule of law is that you put sentiment aside, you put personal interest aside, and you do what is right for the larger society. Once we begin to do that, a lot of these issues we are talking about will naturally resolve themselves.”
“POLICIES EXIST, BUT REALITY DIFFERS” — ON YOUTH EXCLUSION AND SYSTEM ABUSE
Ajulo cited employment structures and recruitment practices as clear examples of failed implementation.
He noted that despite policies favouring youth inclusion, the reality within institutions tells a different story.
“Are we going to say we do not have laws that promote youth participation? The answer is yes, we have them. Are we going to say we do not have policies that encourage employment of young people? We have them. Even when you look at recruitment adverts, whether in the military or other institutions, everything is pro-youth, with age limits clearly stated. But when you now go into the system, you begin to see contradictions.”
He lamented the persistence of practices such as age falsification and prolonged retention in service.
According to him, such actions directly block opportunities meant for younger Nigerians.
“You go into offices today, especially in specialized government institutions, and you will still find individuals who are well above the expected age, sometimes even close to 70, still in service, having manipulated their records. Those are the things we need to address, because those positions are meant to create space for young people to come in, and if that is not happening, then unemployment will continue to rise.”
“YOUTH ARE THE BACKBONE” — AJULO ON DEMOGRAPHY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Ajulo emphasised that youth development must be treated as a priority, given Nigeria’s demographic reality.
He described young people as the foundation upon which any meaningful national development must be built.
“We are pro-people, and I want to believe that everybody should naturally be pro-youth, because it is either you have been a youth, you are currently a youth, or you are going to have young people around you. That is where the energy comes from, that is where the innovation comes from, and that is where the future of any society lies.”
He added that understanding a nation’s progress requires a close look at how it treats its youth population.
“If you want to truly understand any society, just look at the youth of that society. Once you get it right with the youth, once you are able to properly engage them, empower them, and give them a sense of belonging, then you will not have major problems in that society.”
“IT IS YOUR GAME” — CALL FOR YOUTH POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
On political participation, Ajulo challenged young Nigerians to move beyond passive involvement and take active roles in shaping governance.
He noted that despite their numerical strength, youths remain underrepresented in leadership positions.
According to him, this gap is partly due to weak mobilisation and lack of strategic engagement.
“The average percentage of voters in any society are youths, so sometimes I begin to wonder, how come it is not youths that are emerging as leaders? How come the same youths who dominate the voting population are not the ones taking over leadership positions? It shows that there is still a gap in terms of mobilisation and strategic participation.”
He urged young people to take ownership of the political process.
“It is your game, it is your business, you have to put your people forward. Power is not something that will be served to you a la carte, it is more like a buffet where you have to stand up, step forward, and take what belongs to you within the confines of the law.”
“CERTIFICATE IS NOT ENOUGH” — AJULO CALLS FOR SKILLS-DRIVEN EDUCATION
Ajulo also addressed the issue of employability, criticising the country’s overdependence on academic certificates.
He argued that competence and practical skills are more critical in today’s world.
“The issue we have is that we place too much premium on certificates instead of competence. You will even discover that some individuals who did not graduate with the best grades end up doing better in life because they focused on developing practical skills, they focused on building themselves beyond what is written on paper.”
He stressed that intelligence alone is not sufficient for success.
“It is not just about intellectual intelligence, you also need social intelligence, you need emotional intelligence, you need the ability to adapt and solve real-life problems. Those are the things that make the difference in today’s world.”
He called for a restructuring of the education system to prioritise entrepreneurship and practical learning.
“If I have my way, I will say that our educational curriculum should be structured in such a way that about 80 percent is practical and entrepreneurial knowledge, while maybe 20 percent is theoretical, because at the end of the day, what people need are skills that can help them survive and create opportunities.”
“ENTREPRENEURSHIP SHOULD BE THE CORE” — AJULO COMMENDS NBA MENTORSHIP DRIVE
Ajulo further expanded on his advocacy for practical education, linking it directly to professional development within the legal field. He lamented the long-standing gap between theoretical learning and real-world application, particularly in legal training, noting that young lawyers are often left to figure out the realities of practice on their own after years of academic study.
He, however, commended the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) under the leadership of Afam Osigwe for what he described as a historic intervention aimed at bridging that gap through structured mentorship and guidance for young lawyers.
“Exactly, you’ve asked the question in the sense that when we talk of entrepreneurship, it is one of the things that, if I have a way of changing our curriculum in our schools, entrepreneurship and the practical aspect of pragmatism should be the focus. Even if I have my way, it will be 80 percent practical to 20 percent theory.
That is the kind of learning that should be maintained. For example, as a lawyer, throughout my university education and even law school, apart from a brief period where they teach practice, nobody really teaches you how to run a law firm or the practical realities of the profession.”
He noted that this disconnect has historically limited the growth of young professionals, making the NBA’s recent initiative both timely and necessary.
“That is why I must commend the Nigerian Bar Association today, under the leadership of Mazi Afam Osigwe, for the first time in the history of the Bar, setting up a mentorship committee specifically to guide young lawyers. I have the privilege of serving as the pioneer chairman of that body, and it is a deliberate effort to teach motivation, mentorship, and how young lawyers can rise through the ranks. Many of those we interact with today openly admit that nobody exposed them to these realities before now, and I think that is the best way to go.”
“JUSTICE REFORMS ARE YOUTH-CENTRIC” — AJULO ON JUDICIAL STRUCTURE IN ONDO
Speaking on reforms within the Ondo State justice system, Ajulo explained that many of the structural changes introduced under his leadership are inherently youth-focused, given that young people constitute the largest demographic interacting with the justice system.
He noted that efforts to improve judicial efficiency, including increasing the number of judges and automating court processes, are aimed at ensuring faster and more accessible justice delivery, which directly benefits young Nigerians.
“Let me start by saying that from our findings and research, the major subscribers of justice in Ondo State are actually young people. Whether you are talking about criminal or civil matters, you will find that the majority of those who come into contact with the justice system are youths. So when we talk about reform, it naturally becomes youth-focused because they are the primary beneficiaries of whatever improvements we make.”
He highlighted key interventions such as legislative amendments to increase the number of judges and the introduction of technology-driven processes within the courts.
“One of the first things we realized on assumption of office was that delays in the justice system were largely due to the workload on judges. So a proposal was made to increase the number of judges, and for the first time since the creation of Ondo State in 1976, the law was amended to move from 24 to 35 judges. That is a major step. We also began the automation of our court system, including juvenile courts, because when you improve access and speed of justice, you are directly impacting the lives of young people who depend on the system.”
Ajulo also pointed to innovative approaches such as volunteer legal services, which he said have expanded youth participation within the justice sector itself.
“Coming in, I also introduced a system where we appointed about 273 lawyers as aides and assistants through volunteerism. It generated a lot of reactions at the time, but what people did not understand is that these are young lawyers willing to contribute their quota without costing the state government anything. So beyond just being beneficiaries of justice, young people are now active participants in the system.”
He concluded that virtually every reform within the justice sector ultimately circles back to youth impact, given their dominance within the system.
“So when you look at it critically, anything we do in the justice sector is youth-centric. A 70-year-old man is hardly the one you see dominating court processes. It is the young people. So improving the justice system is, in essence, improving opportunities and outcomes for the youth.”
“IMPLEMENTATION REMAINS THE KEY” — FINAL WORD ON GOVERNANCE
Reiterating his central argument, Ajulo maintained that Nigeria’s progress depends largely on its ability to bridge the implementation gap.
He warned that without addressing this issue, policies would continue to have limited impact.
“At the end of the day, it still comes back to implementation. You may have the best policies, you may have the best intentions, but if the people who are responsible for driving those policies are not effective, then nothing will change. That is the gap we must close if we are serious about development.”
He concluded that the future of the country is directly tied to how well it harnesses the potential of its youth population.
“If we get it right with implementation and we are able to properly channel the energy of our young people into productive ventures, then we will unlock a lot of potential in this country and move forward in a more meaningful way.”