Fuji’s old guard is asking for calm. Alhaji Arems — identified in press profiles as Wasiu Adeniyi Aremu, CEO of Arems Entertainment and Ariya 24/7 TV — says a wave of recent videos from senior Fuji figures has one clear message: let peace reign in the genre so it can grow for everyone. Clips circulating on social platforms show veteran names and close associates — including Abass Obesere, Saheed Osupa, Malaika, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Remi Aluko, Taye Currency and others — calling for respect, reconciliation and an end to public squabbles that split fans and stunt collaboration. These public appeals, Arems argues, are meant to protect the reputation of Fuji and clear a path for younger acts to thrive under united mentorship.
In a related line of counsel, Arems has used interviews and public posts to urge gratitude toward the late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister — often styled as Ayinde Barrister or Barrister — calling the creator of modern Fuji “the pillar whose work opened doors for every practitioner that followed.” He frames gratitude as more than ceremony: it’s recognition of a lineage and a spiritual marker of the genre’s survival and growth.
Why The Call For Peace Matters Now :
Fuji’s public feuds do more than entertain tabloid timelines — they shape careers. When top artists are publicly at odds, their followers often harden into camps. That discourages cross-fan collaboration, shrinks the pool of producers and promoters willing to back joint projects, and reduces opportunities for lesser-known singers who rely on endorsements, features and festival slots to break through. A stable, collaborative environment widens the stage: festivals can book mixed bills without fear of backlash; promoters can package multi-artist tours; and streaming playlists or radio shows are likelier to program tracks from artists who are seen as part of a constructive community.
The veterans’ recent appeals stress mentorship rather than rivalry. Arems’ public interventions — and similar entreaties from Pasuma, Osupa and Obesere visible across video posts — position elder statesmen as stewards who can model how to behave publicly and how to share the spotlight. If those leaders show a united front, their followers are more likely to adopt the same posture, creating organic room for features, cross-collaborations and the informal passing of craft from elder to younger artists.
Tribute, Lineage And Why Barrister’s Legacy Still Matters :
Sikiru Ayinde Barrister is widely credited as a pioneer of Fuji music — his innovations in the 1960s and onward turned were (wéré) religious chant and percussion traditions into a contemporary, amplified popular form that outgrew many contemporaneous genres. Because Fuji’s rise was not inevitable but cultivated by artists like Barrister, Arems and others argue that performers and fans owe a visible, ongoing respect to that lineage. That respect, they say, keeps the genre rooted in its traditions even as artists experiment and modernize.
What Unity Could Look Like — Practical Steps
If Fuji’s senior figures truly want to translate goodwill into results, several practical moves would make a difference:
• Publicly endorse collaborator lists: short compacts where seniors commit to share stage and studio time with younger acts.
• Festival programming that prioritises mixed bills and features from A-list to rising acts.
• Mentorship series (recorded or live) that pair veterans with a rotating roster of upcoming singers.
• Joint charity or community events that shift attention from rivalry to shared cultural stewardship.
These moves reduce the zero-sum thinking — the idea that only one person or faction can “win” — and turn public attention toward growth and storytelling instead. The economics follow: more collaborations tend to mean more streams, more bookings and more media attention for everyone involved.
The Risk of Envy, And The Gratitude Argument :
Arems’ broader admonition — that upcoming artists should publicly acknowledge the elders who opened doors rather than envy them — is both moral and strategic. Morally, it situates success inside a lineage of predecessors and luck; strategically, it prevents self-marginalization. When an emerging artist refuses to show deference to elders, they risk alienating the very gatekeepers who control festival bookings, studio access and, sometimes, fan goodwill. Conversely, acts that visibly honour the founders attract mentorship, endorsements and invitations to collaborate — accelerants in a tightly networked scene.
This is not to say talent doesn’t matter; it does. But Arems’ point — echoed across the community — is that talent without the network and blessing of key players can stall. The veteran message is clear: the door opens more easily when the hands inside reach out, not withdraw.
Fuji music stands at a crossroads where public behaviour can either constrict or expand opportunities for the next generation. The recent wave of peace-calling videos from Obesere, Osupa, Pasuma, Malaika and allied voices — and the public commentary of industry figures such as Alhaji Arems — is an invitation to choose growth over grievance. If elders model cooperation and upcoming acts return respect with craft and gratitude, the genre will not only preserve its roots — it will build new branches that lift more artists onto bigger stages.
