Reps Speaker seeks medical exchanges, strong parliamentary ties with Cuba

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has called for the establishment of parliamentary diplomacy that will provide a platform to fast-track frameworks for medical exchanges, academic recognition, joint research, and targeted investments between Cuba and Nigeria.

He however emphasized that the parliamentary diplomacy must yield tangible outputs that will lead to signing of Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs), ratified agreements, and funded programmes.

Speaker Tajudeen made the remarks in Abuja on Sunday while receiving a delegation from Cuba led by Hon. Fernando González Llort, a hero of the Republic of Cuba, member of the National Assembly of the People’s Power of Cuba (ANPP) and President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People’s (ICAP) on a courtesy visit.

Represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Speaker Tajudeen lauded the diplomatic ties between both countries, calling for the deepening of the bilateral relations.

He however drew up some strategic markers which included parliamentary and health diplomacy, trade and culture, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, saying their implementation will help to birth a robust parliamentary partnership.

He said: “Nigeria’s foreign policy, guided by the principles of African solidarity and cooperation across the Global South, continues to prioritise partnerships that
promote peace, development, and shared prosperity. The 10th Assembly is committed to advancing this through laws that enable economic cooperation, cultural exchange, and global dialogue.

“We also recognise Cuba’s legacy of parliamentary solidarity, from decolonisation struggles to calls for global equity. It is both strategic and moral to formalise collaboration where our legislatures can deliver, through law-making, institutional strengthening, and parliamentary diplomacy that yields real benefits for our peoples.

“Our tools are laws, oversight, and convening power. The Nigeria–Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group provides a platform to fast-track frameworks for medical exchanges, academic recognition, joint research, and targeted investments. Parliamentary diplomacy must yield real outputs: MOUs, ratified agreements, and funded programmes.

“Bilateral trade between our countries is minimal. According to UN Comtrade
reports, Nigeria’s imports from Cuba were just US$2,380 in 2024. Yet our cultural ties run deep in music, sports, and literature. Let us convert this affinity into opportunities for artisans, agri-entrepreneurs, and creative industries. Education, Skills, and Youth Exchange Nigeria’s demographic dividend depends on skills for the 21st century.

“Scholarships in Cuba, paired with Nigerian internships and reciprocal placements, can produce professionals fluent in international cooperation.

“Cuba’s record is proven: over 1,200 doctors in 21 “Henry Reeve” brigades and tens of thousands still deployed worldwide. Joint training, health expertise exchange, and co-developed treatments can strengthen Nigeria’s health systems.

“Nigeria prioritises affordable medicines and vaccine capacity. Cuba’s biotech, including the Abdala COVID-19 vaccine (92% effective against severe disease in published studies), shows what is possible. Partnerships in research, technology transfer, and pilot manufacturing can boost vaccine production, protect public health, and create jobs while advancing Africa’s self-sufficiency.

“Nigeria sees this relationship not as a one-way street but as a balanced exchange. We value Cuba’s achievements in health, biotechnology, and education, while Cuba can benefit from Nigeria’s 200 million-strong market, rich resources, vibrant creative industries, and continental leadership.

“From energy and agriculture to pharmaceuticals, tourism, sports, and culture, the opportunities are diverse and compelling. This is true reciprocity: Cuba brings tested knowledge, Nigeria offers scale and opportunity, and together we can uplift our peoples and the wider Global South.”

Emphasizing the benefits of the relationship, Speaker Tajudeen further said that the visit should mark the beginning of concrete frameworks between the Nigerian Parliament and Cuba’s National Assembly.

“The path ahead requires candid conversations on capacity, financing, and mutual benefit. Our agreements must guarantee technology transfer, fair protection of intellectual property, and local value chains that translate into jobs, clinics, and stronger universities.

“Let this visit be more than protocol; it must mark the beginning of concrete frameworks between the Nigerian Parliament and Cuba’s National Assembly, and a people-to-people compact linking Abuja to Havana, Lagos to Santiago and even Bende to Camagüey.

“As lawmakers, we stand ready to advance the legislative instruments, whether in cultural diplomacy, trade, or education, that will give this partnership lasting form”, he said.

Earlier in their separate remarks, the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmer and the visiting Cuban parliamentarian, Hon. Fernando González Llort lauded the relationship between Nigeria and Cuba, saying they are working on issues mutual interest to both countries.

Llort extended the invitation of the parliament to the Deputy Speaker to visit Cuba to enable them exchange views on parliamentary diplomacy and other issues of mutual interest and benefits.

By Tony Akowe