Nigeria, October 1, 2022.- The Cro. Miguel Díaz Canel Bermúdez, president of the Republic of Cuba, sent a congratulatory message to his Nigerian counterpart, Muhammadu Buhari, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 62nd anniversary of the independence of this sister African country, this October 1. In the letter, the Cuban President also reiterated the will to continue strengthening friendly relations between our countries.
Similarly, the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, sent a congratulatory message to his Nigerian counterpart, H. E. Geoffrey Onyeama.
In parallel, the Cuban ambassador to Nigeria, Clara M. Pulido Escandell, was invited to the official ceremony for this commemorative day. The Cuban diplomat on her twitter expressed that: “All the beauty and color of the culture of #Nigeria present in the celebration of the 62nd Anniversary of independence in Eagle Square. That's where our roots are."
History specifies that in May 1957 the Nigerian Constitutional Conference met in London in order to prepare a new series of reforms for the country's independence. Among their agreements, the convenience of appointing a federal prime minister was considered and, on August 30, 1957, the prime minister of the North region, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was appointed to that position. His government guided the country for the next three years, operating with almost complete autonomy in internal affairs. Finally, on October 1, 1960, Nigeria became an independent state. The new country adopted the monarchical form of government. The head of state was the British sovereign, represented by a governor general, while the head of government was the prime minister.
When the British governor ceased, the position became the Nnamdi Azikiwe, continuing as Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa.
(Embassy of Cuba in Nigeria)