By Sandra Kenneth
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as his Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), with the appointment taking immediate effect.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Olanrewaju-Smart succeeds Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who recently resigned to contest an elective position in his home state.
The Presidency highlighted that the 40-year-old appointee brings a robust combination of legislative expertise and public policy academic training to the role.
Olanrewaju-Smart’s extensive career in the National Assembly includes serving as Research and Media Assistant to the House Leadership in the 7th and 8th Assemblies, before rising through roles 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 Assemblies. Prior to his latest appointment, he served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs since October 2023.
His academic credentials include a doctorate in Educational Management from Lead City University, a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University—where he was an Edward Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School—and a diploma from the London School of Public Relations. Additionally, he completed fellowships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, focusing on artificial intelligence and civic technology.
In his prior research and policy roles, Olanrewaju-Smart contributed to key legislative projects, including the Interest-Free Student Loan Act.
The Presidency expressed strong confidence that Olanrewaju-Smart will effectively leverage his background to enhance inter-governmental relations, legislative coordination, and executive-legislative collaboration between the Presidency, federal ministries, departments, agencies, and the House of Representatives.
