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President Bola Tinubu has appointed Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), with immediate effect.
The appointment was announced on Sunday in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Olanrewaju-Smart replaces Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to pursue an elective position.
According to the Presidency, the new appointee combines extensive legislative experience with a strong academic background in public policy.
He holds 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 professional diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Public Relations.
He also participated as a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, with a focus on artificial intelligence and civic technology.
The Presidency said Olanrewaju-Smart began his career in the National Assembly as a Research and Media Assistant to the Minority and Majority Leader during the 7th and 8th Assemblies before serving as Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff and later Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th and 10th Assemblies.
He joined the Presidency in October 2023 as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a position he held until his latest appointment.
The statement added that Olanrewaju-Smart contributed to research on several key pieces of legislation, including the Interest-Free Student Loan Act.
“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.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu is confident that Olanrewaju-Smart will use his legislative experience and policy expertise to strengthen coordination between the Presidency, ministries, departments and agencies, and the House of Representatives.
