Abuja, Nigeria — The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has described Nigeria as one of the biggest beneficiaries of Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU), popularly known as Brexit.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, Montgomery highlighted how post-Brexit policies have strengthened UK–Nigeria trade, investment, and migration ties, creating significant economic and social opportunities.
According to him, Brexit allowed the UK to introduce a new visa regime that opened more pathways for Nigerians to live, work, and study in Britain. This shift, he noted, has fueled a remarkable rise in the Nigerian diaspora population in the UK, which has grown from 300,000 in 2021 to 550,000 in 2025.
“Nigeria has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Brexit in terms of our visa regime, which has allowed more Nigerians to come and live and work and study in the UK,” Montgomery stated.
The High Commissioner explained that Brexit granted the UK the freedom to realign its global economic partnerships, expanding opportunities beyond the EU. While acknowledging mixed outcomes from the realignment, he emphasized that Nigeria has clearly gained from the new framework.
Montgomery further noted that the UK’s broader economic independence has enabled more constructive trade and investment ties with countries like the United States, which has been channeling “massive investments” into Britain post-Brexit.
“Brexit has caused a realignment in a lot of our economic relationships. Some may look positive and some may look negative. But overall, the UK has a lot more independence and freedom to do trade deals with wider countries outside the EU,” he said.
With Nigeria’s expanding diaspora and deepening trade relations, analysts believe the post-Brexit era could open new opportunities for bilateral growth between Abuja and London.