By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), with immediate effect.
The appointment was announced on Sunday in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Olanrewaju-Smart succeeds Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned from the position to contest for an elective office in his home state.
According to the statement, the new presidential adviser is an accomplished scholar and public policy expert with extensive experience in legislative affairs and governance. He holds a PhD in Educational Management from Lead City University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. He is also an Edward Mason Fellow in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
The 40-year-old has participated in several prestigious international programmes, including serving as a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also 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.
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 spans several key positions, beginning as Research and Media Assistant to the Minority/Majority Leader of the House of Representatives during the 7th and 8th National Assemblies. He later served as Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff, and eventually Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives during the 9th and 10th National Assemblies.
The Presidency also noted that Olanrewaju-Smart has contributed to public policy research on several landmark legislations, including the Interest-Free Student Loan Act.
President Tinubu expressed confidence that the new Special Adviser would leverage his experience, expertise, and commitment to strengthen legislative coordination and enhance relations between the Presidency, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the House of Representatives.
