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Outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms could place the country on a stronger footing in the long term, despite the hardship they have caused for many Nigerians.

Montgomery made the comments during a farewell visit to the Revenue House in Abuja, according to a statement issued by Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser to the chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji.

The envoy said Nigeria had undergone significant economic changes during his three-year posting, acknowledging that measures such as currency devaluation and inflation had imposed short-term pain on ordinary people.

“I stand by and continue to brief, including our new Prime Minister, who is hoping to speak to President Bola Tinubu in the next couple of weeks, about how fundamental the reforms have been,” Montgomery was quoted as saying.

He cited monetary policy actions at the Central Bank of Nigeria, fiscal management at the Ministry of Finance, and tax reform efforts involving the NRS and Taiwo Oyedele – now Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy – as among the measures he considered important to Nigeria’s future.

Montgomery said the work of Adedeji and other members of the economic management team had been “fundamental to the future of Nigeria,” adding that the next priority should be raising the country’s growth rate from about 4 per cent to 7 per cent.

The outgoing envoy also praised the NRS, describing it as “one of our best partners,” and commended its collaboration with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on peer review of processes.

Adedeji, in response, said Montgomery’s support had contributed to the reform process and helped shape engagements around Nigeria’s revenue system.

“The support is not lost on us. I would also like to thank you for your commitment, and I’m very grateful. Although you are leaving, you can see some of the good results of the reforms,” Adedeji said.

He said Montgomery had treated the NRS as part of Nigeria’s economic fabric and expressed confidence that strategic engagement between the agency and the United Kingdom would continue under the envoy’s successor.

Adedeji added that sustainable development should be built on strategic partnerships rather than aid, saying he expected that approach to remain central to future cooperation.