President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Alhaji Hassan Adebayo Sunmonu, a renowned labour leader and veteran trade unionist, on his 85th birthday on January 7, 2026. He also sent his warm felicitations to Comrade Issa Obalowu Aremu, the Director-General of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), on his 65th birthday.
The President highlighted Alhaji Sunmonu’s immense contributions to nation-building and commended his commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers.
Sunmonu has been involved in the labour movement and in the agitation for improvements in workers’ welfare for decades.
He was president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) from 1978 to 1984. He was also formerly General Secretary of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU).
President Tinubu said: “One cannot help but notice Alhaji Sunmonu’s outstanding pioneering leadership within the labour force and commitment to the well-being of workers.
“His emergence at the pinnacle of the labour movement is instructive. It’s on record that, before NLC’s formation in 1978, the Obasanjo government had disbanded four national labour unions, including the moderate United Labour Congress, led by Haroun Adebola, and the more radical Nigeria Trade Union Congress.
“As labour leader, Sunmonu’s NLC presented a Charter of Demands that, among other things, eventually led to the institutionalisation of a national minimum wage and minimum pension scheme.”
The President thanked Alhaji Sunmonu for his passion for workers’ welfare and wished him continued good health and renewed strength.
On Comrade Issa Aremu on his 65th birthday, the president thanked him for his decades of service to the nation and for courageously championing the rights of workers and other Nigerians.
Comrade Aremu, a former journalist, is a trade unionist with four decades of struggle for workers’ rights. He is also a strong advocate for democracy and sustainable national industrial development.
He was the general secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) and an executive member of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) from 2008 to 2020.
The President joined the Aremu family, friends, and the labour community to celebrate the distinguished labour leader and frontline apostle of good governance, peace, and justice.
He lauded him for his decades of service to the nation and for courageously championing the rights of workers and other Nigerians and thanked the prolific writer and author for his support and prayed that this new chapter in his life will bring him good tidings, sound health and strength as he continues to serve the nation.
