President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters – House of Representatives.
Dr Olanrewaju-Smart replaced Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to contest for an elective post in his home state.
A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, stated that the appointment of Olanrewaju-Smart, who is an accomplished scholar and public policy expert with a PhD in Educational Management from Lead City University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University, takes immediate effect.
The statement further stated that the 40-year-old Olarenwaju-Smart is an Edward Mason Fellow in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a policy expert who was also a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Olarenwaju-Smart holds a professional diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Public Relations and was a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI, USA, focusing on AI and Civic Tech.
The statement said that Olanrewaju-Smart’s National Assembly career spanned 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 further said that President Tinubu is confident that Olanrewaju-Smart will use his experience, intellect, and commitment to strengthening legislative coordination and relations between the Presidency, MDAs and the House of Representatives.
