President Bola Tinubu has appointed Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as special adviser to the president on National Assembly matters in the House of Representatives.
Olanrewaju-Smart succeeds Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to run for an elective position in his native state.
“This appointment is with immediate effect,” stated Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in a statement on Sunday headed ‘President Tinubu Appoints Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters—House of Representatives.’
According to the presidency, Olanrewaju-Smart, 40, brings to the position a unique blend of extensive legislative experience and advanced academic knowledge in public policy.
He has a doctorate in educational management from Lead City University, a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University (where he was an Edward Mason Fellow in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School), and a professional diploma in public relations from the London School of Public Relations.
He was also a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, with a focus on artificial intelligence and civic technology.
“His National Assembly career spans Research and Media Assistant to the Minority/Majority Leader, House of Representatives (7th–8th Assemblies), to Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff, and ultimately the Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th and 10th Assemblies.
Olanrewaju-Smart later joined the presidency in October 2023 as senior special assistant to the president on intergovernmental affairs, a position he held until this new appointment.
“His public policy research portfolio includes work on several landmark legislations, such as the Interest-Free Student Loan Act, among others,” the statement read.
The Presidency expressed Tinubu’s confidence that Olanrewaju-Smart would deploy his experience, intellect, and commitment to strengthening legislative coordination and relations between the Presidency, ministries, departments, and agencies and the House of Representatives.
