President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), replacing Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned from the position to pursue an elective office in his home state.
The appointment, announced on Sunday in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, takes immediate effect.
According to the statement, Olanrewaju-Smart is expected to strengthen coordination between the Presidency, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the House of Representatives, drawing on his extensive legislative and public policy experience.
Before his elevation, Olanrewaju-Smart served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a position he assumed in October 2023.
The new presidential aide has built an extensive career within the National Assembly, serving as Research and Media Assistant to the Minority and Majority Leaders of the House of Representatives during the 7th and 8th Assemblies.
He later rose through the ranks to become Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff and eventually Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House in the 9th and 10th Assemblies.
An accomplished scholar and public policy expert, Olanrewaju-Smart holds a doctorate in Educational Management from Lead City University and 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.
He is also a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), holds a professional diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Public Relations, and was a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, where he focused on artificial intelligence and civic technology.
His public policy research portfolio includes contributions to several landmark legislations, including the Interest-Free Student Loan Act.
President Tinubu said he was confident that the 40-year-old would deploy his experience, intellect and commitment to deepen legislative coordination and strengthen relations between the Presidency, MDAs and the House of Representatives.
The President wished him success in his new assignment.
