Outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has praised President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying that despite short term hardship for citizens, they remain critical to positioning the country on a stronger economic path.

Speaking during a farewell visit to the Nigeria Revenue Service headquarters in Abuja, Montgomery said his three years in Nigeria coincided with significant positive change, acknowledging that policies such as exchange rate reforms and efforts to control inflation had imposed real costs on citizens but remained necessary for long term stability. He said he has consistently briefed Britain’s new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, on the importance of the reforms, crediting Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso, former Finance Minister Wale Edun, Revenue Service Chairman Zacch Adedeji and current Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele for driving monetary, fiscal and tax reforms.

He said the reforms reflected both technical competence and political skill in navigating Nigeria’s complex fiscal environment, and pointed to steps taken to reposition the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, attract investment and improve the country’s credit ratings. He said the next challenge for government would be accelerating growth from around four percent to seven percent to deliver more tangible benefits for ordinary Nigerians, expressing confidence in the country’s economic team.

Montgomery singled out the Revenue Service as one of Britain’s best partners, praising its collaboration with Britain’s tax authority through peer reviews and technical cooperation, and commended Adedeji for steering difficult reforms that have deepened institutional capacity in tax administration. He said managing Nigeria’s complex budget process is never easy and praised the finance team for handling it with both technical and political skill.

Responding, Adedeji described Montgomery’s departure as a loss, thanking him for personal and technical support at critical stages of Nigeria’s tax reform programme and welcoming his emphasis on strategic partnership over traditional aid as a more sustainable approach to development. Adedeji said he expects the cordial relationship between the Revenue Service and the United Kingdom to continue under Montgomery’s successor.