THE MAN KAYODE AJULO
By Femi SALAKO
Kayode Ajulo is a man of many parts who has sufficiently affected his generation positively. He is a lawyer, lecturer, politician, student leader and a human right activist.
He was born in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and attended Aquinas College, Akure before proceeding to the University of Jos where he studied and obtained LL.B (Hons) Law in 1999.
Ajulo was called to the Nigeria Bar in 2001 having attended the Nigerian Law School from 1999 to 2000. He is also a holder of Master of Law degree, LL.M that was obtained in 2006. He has also obtained Ph. D in Law on Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Justice.
He began his career as a Federal Attorney/Legal Officer with the Chambers of the Attorney General of the Federation at the Federal Ministry of Justice from 2001 to 2002. He also worked as an Associate at the litigation inclined firm of Chief Afe Babalola SAN & Co. in 2002. Thereafter, Kayode worked as Head of Chambers of Tunji Abayomi & Co. Abuja from 2003 to 2005 all before he attained age 30.
He founded Kayode Ajulo & Co. Castle of Law in 2006. It is an international law firm with interest in Litigation, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Oil and Gas, Capital Markets and Company Secretarial Services. The Law Firm also specialize on Real Estates, Maritime and Aviation Telecommunication and Information Technology and Human Rights.
Kayode is a foremost and widely celebrated lawyer with a wide clients base and has also prosecuted a good number of complex cases up to the Supreme Court. He has also acted as an Arbitrator and Counsel for several notable clients and severally appointed as Counsel by the Federal Government of Nigeria in several disputes within the country and abroad.
Barrister Ajulo has also acted as a Counsel that coordinate all litigations pertaining to the defence of Nigerian Police Force and Ministry of Police Affairs in Nigerian. He also worked with the Nigerian Government team of Solicitors that were responsible for advisory, documentation, perfection of title and litigation in respect of the largest and most successful petroleum revenue development in Nigeria. He has also helped to design a process that radically restructured the Ondo State Ministry of Justice by cutting out much of the bureaucratic red-tape.
To the credit of Barrister Ajulo was the negotiation and drafting of a multi-million dollar Joint Venture Agreement and Production Sharing Contract for prospecting and production of solid minerals in the country.
Kayode has also acted as an advisor for clients on all the legal and regulatory issues that related to to a multi-million dollars mass housing project. He has also acted as a Receiver/Manager to several distressed Companies, many of which he successfully turned around.
He has also proven his mettle as an articulate teacher and communicator of complex ideas having taught Law related courses at the Abuja Campus of Ondo State Polytechnic, Owo. He has over the years proven himself as a very active advocate for good governance and democracy globally.
Ajulo belongs to a number of professional bodies and international organizations which include but not limited to Avant Garde International, International Association of Human Right Lawyers, Red Cross, Nigerian Institute of Management, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and International Bar Association (IBA).
He is the Founder/Chairman of the Board of Egalitarian Mission, Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization that is maintaining and promoting the belief that all people are, in principle, equal and should enjoy equal social, political, and economic rights and opportunities. He is also a students leader and Diocesan Registrar. He in 2009 declared the Most Enterprising Young Lawyer in Nigeria by National Waves Magazine and Legal Personality of Year 2009 by among other numerous awards.
Kayode Ajulo is also the Coordinator of the activities of Free-A-Prisoner-A-Day (FAPAD), an initiative of Egalitarian Mission, Africa that ensure that at least a prisoner/detainee is released each day.
He solely finances the activities of Egalitarian Mission, Africa and FAPAD Initiatives with 15% of the profit less tax of his law firm, Kayode Ajulo & Co. Castle Of Law thereby insulating the projects from external contributions and influences.
Dr. Ajulo has won several international and local awards for his immense contributions to social justice and human rights. He holds the prestigious honorary Chieftaincy title of Bamofinlewe of Akure kingdom. He has also been honoured with other chieftaincy titles by communities across Nigeria.
Kayode Ajulo contested as a Senatorial candidate of the Labour Party in FCT, Abuja on the platform during the 2011 general elections. He took advantage of the election to call for attitudinal change and style so as to ensure a vibrant and dynamic Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria. He insisted that the Senate needs to be reinvigorated because of its present state of docility due to the fact that old politicians have turned it to a haven for political pensioners.
Dr. Kayode Ajulo is happily married with children. He has hobbies that include debating, writing poetry, painting, music, and amateur photography.