Nigeria and Australia are looking to move their bilateral relationship beyond diplomatic contacts, with parliamentary exchanges, committee-to-committee cooperation and staff development emerging as potential areas of closer collaboration.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, made the proposal when he received the Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives, Milton Dick, during a courtesy visit to the National Assembly in Abuja.
Akpabio said stronger links between the two parliaments could provide continuity in Nigeria-Australia relations, while creating opportunities for legislators and parliamentary staff to learn from each other.
He identified legislative exchanges, cooperation between parliamentary committees and regular engagement between presiding officers as areas that could deliver practical benefits from the relationship.
According to him, both countries have common institutional features that could make such cooperation productive. Nigeria and Australia are Commonwealth countries with federal systems, bicameral legislatures and multicultural populations, as well as significant natural resources.
Akpabio said these similarities offered opportunities for both countries to share experiences and strengthen democratic institutions.
He said the Australian initiative to establish an Australia-Nigeria Parliamentary Friendship Group should provide a platform for sustained legislative engagement.
“Parliaments represent the people, and stronger Parliament-to-Parliament relations can give bilateral relations greater continuity and depth,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President argued that bilateral relations should not depend solely on executive governments and diplomatic channels, saying parliament-to-parliament contacts could keep cooperation alive across political and administrative changes.
The proposed cooperation could also give lawmakers and parliamentary officials opportunities to exchange knowledge on legislative practice, committee work and democratic governance, while allowing both countries to build institutional relationships beyond individual government officials.
Dick, who is in Nigeria as part of his engagement with the country’s leadership, said he was advised to visit Nigeria after deciding to seek the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
“I know that Nigeria is the heart of Africa and your leadership is well known throughout the continent,” Dick said.
He thanked Nigeria for its contribution to democracy and the IPU, adding that his engagement with the country had strengthened his personal ties with Nigeria.
“On behalf of the people of Australia, we thank you for what you have done for democracy and we thank you for what you have done for the IPU,” he said.
Dick also pledged to maintain the relationship irrespective of the outcome of his IPU ambition.
“I promise you if I’m elected or if I’m not elected, you have a brand new friend in Australia,” he said.
