•Death a call for struggle, not surrender — NLC
•A blow to justice struggle — TUC
•My last discussion with him — Falana
•He pledged support for our strike—ASUU
By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Juliet Umeh, Efe Onodjae & Mirable Okeke
It was a gale of tributes yesterday as members of Organised Labour, civil society organizations, CSOs among others, paid glowing tributes to renowned activist and revolutionary, Biodun “Fidelista” Aremu, ahead of his burial today.
At the day of tributes organized in his honour in Lagos, titled “Celebrating the life of a steadfast people’s revolutionary”, labour leaders, human rights, lawyers, academics and civil society groups vowed to sustain his lifelong struggle for justice, equity, and workers’ emancipation.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC described his passing as a devastating loss to the working class, but declared that it must not be a moment of despair — rather, “a renewed call to struggle, not surrender.”
Speaking, NLC President Joe Ajaero, represented by Congress Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, said: “Today, we gather not just in grief but in the shadow of a colossal tree that has fallen in the forest of our struggle. Comrade Abiodun ‘Fidelista’ Aremu was not an ordinary man — he was a teacher, an organizer, and a revolutionary general whose entire life was dedicated to the liberation of the working class.”
Ajaero said Aremu was taken “in a manner as brutal as the system he fought all his life to dismantle,” but reminded workers that “they can kill the body, but never the ideas for which that body stood.”
Describing him as an organic intellectual who lived and breathed socialism, the NLC President recalled how Aremu used platforms such as the Labour and Civil Society Coalition, LASCO, and the Joint Action Front, JAF, to bridge gaps between the organised working class and the masses.
Ajaero said: “He understood that the chains of poverty and inequality could only be broken by a united front. He never wavered, never compromised, and never retreated from the frontlines of struggle.”
Ajaero listed Aremu’s establishment of the Amilcar Cabral Institute of Ideological Studies (ACIS) as one of his greatest legacies — “an ideological arsenal for conscientising the youth and arming them with the tools of scientific socialism.”
He recalled that just last month, Aremu participated in the Abuja commemoration of Fidel Castro’s anniversary and was already mobilising for the memorial of Pa Michael Imoudu, Nigeria’s first labour leader.
A blow to struggle for justice — TUC
In a similar tone, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, described Aremu’s death as “a devastating blow to the struggle for justice, equity and the emancipation of the Nigerian working class.”
Its Secretary-General, Nuhu Toro, said Aremu’s death was not just the loss of a man but “the fall of a titan — a relentless revolutionary who gave his all to the service of humanity. He was a man of conviction, not convenience,” Toro said. “He spoke truth to power with courage, clarity and unwavering moral strength. He never compromised his principles, no matter how rough the road or how lonely the path.”
My last discussion with him — Falana
On his part, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, said three days before Aremu was killed, he had warned that Nigeria’s labour movement would face extinction should Dangote succeed in de-unionising the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, from Dangote’s Refinery and Petrochemicals.
According to him, “Aremu warned that If Aliko Dangote succeeds in de-unionising those two unions, that may be the end of trade unionism in Nigeria. We must resist any attempt to weaken organised labour. Once those two unions go down, the rest of the labour movement will crumble. That was three days before he was killed by a hit-and run driver.”
He linked his warning to Aremu’s lifelong defence of union rights, recalling how the late activist dedicated his life to social justice.
“Like Mandela, the struggle was his life and he dedicated his entire life to it,” Falana said.
He recounted Aremu’s early days as a student activist from Ilorin and how even after suffering a stroke, he remained committed to the cause.
“He kept calling to discuss the struggle. Unfortunately, three days later, I got the shocking call that he was hit by a vehicle and died,” Falana said.
He pledged support for our strike — ASUU
Also, speaking, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said Aremu had called him some days before his death to pledge solidarity with ASUU’s strike.
“He said to me, ‘Chris, any time you decide to take an action, just give me a call. I will be ready.’ That was about six weeks ago, not knowing it would be the last time we would speak,” Piwuna said.
The ASUU president described him as “a man of courage and conviction” who stood firmly with academics and workers through thick and thin.“We cannot forget what Aremu did for us. When we leave this earth, it is our works that will speak for us,” he added.
No organisation can stand without Aremu’s touch — CDHR
Similarly, President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, Debo Adeniran, said there was hardly any civil society organisation in Nigeria that did not bear Aremu’s influence.
“There’s hardly any organisation surviving today without the hand of Aremson in it. He was an epitome of tolerance and never saw himself as superior to others,” Adeniran said. He urged activists to emulate Aremu’s spirit of unity and ideological clarity:
“A people divided can never win a struggle. A people united shall never be defeated. Let us speak the language of human rights — that was Aremson’s cause and that should be ours.”
S watchword.”
Adeniran concluded that Aremu’s legacy would outlive him:
“For what Aremson has done, it is only his works that define him. His legacy remains a compass for future generations.”
A legacy of resistance lives on
Across the hall, chants of “Comrade Abiodun Aremu — Presente!” echoed as activists, workers and allies vowed to keep his struggle alive.
From labour to academia and civil society, speakers agreed that while Aremu’s body has fallen, his revolutionary spirit remains immortal — a guiding light for generations determined to build a just, equitable and democratic Nigeria.
Comrade Abiodun “Fidelista” Aremu (1962–2025) was a veteran socialist, organiser, and strategist of the Nigerian left. A founding member of the JAF and the LASCO, he worked tirelessly to unite trade unions, students, and community groups in the fight for democracy and workers’ rights.
He also served as the Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) and led international solidarity efforts through the Amilcar Cabral Ideological Institute and the Cuba Solidarity Movement.
Nicknamed “Fidelista” for his admiration of Fidel Castro, Aremu was known for his unwavering ideological clarity, humility, and lifelong dedication to the oppressed.
On October 12, 2025, Aremu was tragically killed by a hit-and-run driver with a faulty headlight along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. He was 63.
He is survived by his wife, Comrade (Mrs.) Omolara Aremu, and children — and by countless comrades who continue to chant his revolutionary creed:
“The struggle continues — victory is certain.”
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