Labour activist Abiodun Aremu dies in hit-and-run accident

Abiodun Aremu, a prominent labour activist, has died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing the road near his home in Ota, Ogun state, on Sunday evening.

Eyewitnesses said the 65-year-old was hit around 6pm as he made his way home.

He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital where medical personnel battled to save his life.

Aremu was a well-known figure in Nigeria’s labour movement, serving as secretary of the Joint Action Front (JAF), an umbrella organisation for pro-labour civil society groups.

His burial, originally scheduled for Monday, has been postponed to October 23 to allow the labour movement to organise a befitting farewell.

The burial will take place at N0 30, Kabiru Fatoye street, opposite Alaka Field, Ijako Sugar Bus Stop, Ifo Road, Lagos–Abeokuta expressway.

This was detailed in a statement on Monday by Owei Lakemfa, former secretary-general of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) and ex-acting general secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on behalf of the labour movement.

“The Aremu family has agreed with the Labour Movement that the internment of our leader, Comrade Abiodun ‘Aremson’ Aremu, be moved by about two weeks to allow for proper mobilisation and attendance,” Lakemfa said.

“The greatest honour we can give our fearless teacher and leader is to continue in his footsteps and build a world founded on social justice.”

Lakemfa described Aremu as “an inimitable leader of the working class in Nigeria” who established enduring structures for collaboration within the labour movement, including the Labour–Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) and the Kolagbodi Memorial Foundation.

Aremu founded the Amilcar Cabral Ideological School (ACIS-M), aimed at educating and empowering youth to become revolutionaries capable of driving social change.

In addition to his labour activism, he also served as secretary of the Nigeria Movement for the Liberation of Western Sahara and the Nigerian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba.

Aremu was honoured with the Friendship Medal by the Cuban government for his international efforts.