President Bola Tinubu has appointed Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), with immediate effect.
The appointment was announced in a statement on Sunday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Olanrewaju-Smart succeeds Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned from the position to contest an elective office in his home state.
According to the Presidency, the 40-year-old brings extensive legislative experience and a strong academic background in public policy to the role.
He holds 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.
The Presidency also noted that he was a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, where he focused on artificial intelligence and civic technology.
Before his latest appointment, Olanrewaju-Smart served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a position he assumed in October 2023.
His career in the National Assembly includes serving as Research and Media Assistant to the Minority and Majority Leaders in the 7th and 8th Assemblies, before becoming Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff and later Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives during the 9th and 10th Assemblies.
The Presidency said his public policy research has contributed to several major pieces of legislation, including the Interest-Free Student Loan Act.
President Tinubu expressed confidence that Olanrewaju-Smart would draw on his experience and expertise to strengthen legislative coordination and improve relations between the Presidency, ministries, departments and agencies, and the House of Representatives.
