Meet Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart, the 40-year-old Harvard graduate appointed Tinubu’s legislative adviser

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as the new Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), replacing Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to contest for an elective position in his home state.

The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the Presidency, the appointment takes immediate effect.

What the Presidency is saying

The Presidency said Olanrewaju-Smart brings extensive experience in legislative affairs, public policy, governance, and intergovernmental relations to the role.

• President Tinubu expressed confidence that the new Special Adviser would deploy his experience, intellect, and commitment to strengthen legislative coordination and deepen relations between the Presidency, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and the House of Representatives.

The statement noted that Olanrewaju-Smart most recently served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a position he held from October 2023 until his latest appointment.

Educational qualification

Olanrewaju-Smart’s academic journey reflects a steady progression from educational leadership to public policy and, more recently, artificial intelligence governance.

• He earned a bachelor’s degree in Educational Management and Economics from Lead City University in 2011, graduating with a first-class equivalent CGPA of 4.48/5.0. During his undergraduate years, he served as President of the Students’ Representative Council and was selected as the convocation speaker for the graduating Class of 2011.
• Determined to deepen his expertise in education policy and governance, he returned to Lead City University for a master’s degree in Educational Management, graduating in 2021 with a CGPA of 4.14/5.0, before completing a PhD in Educational Management in 2024.
• His doctoral research examined how institutional autonomy, regulatory laws and administrative structures influence the effectiveness of Nigerian universities.
• His academic pursuits later expanded beyond education into public administration and technology policy. In 2025, he obtained a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, where he was named an Edward Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and served as Sector Chair for Social Justice under the Business and Government Professional Interest Council.
• While at Harvard, he also cross-registered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), studying Artificial Intelligence, including courses on the Law of Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Social Media, as well as leadership under the LEAPS Fellowship programme.

He is also pursuing a Professional Diploma in Public Relations and Image Management at the London School of Public Relations and holds an Advanced Certificate in Information Technology Management from Lagos City Computer College.

Work experience

Olanrewaju-Smart’s career in public service spans more than a decade, beginning in the National Assembly before steadily rising through its ranks to the Presidency.

• His first exposure to the legislature came during his National Youth Service in 2011, when he served as a Research Assistant with the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Fuel Subsidy Probe.
• The experience paved the way for his appointment as Research and Media Assistant to the Minority Leader in the 7th National Assembly, a role he held between 2012 and 2015.
• He later joined the Office of the Majority Leader during the 8th National Assembly, where he spent four years supporting legislative research, public policy development and media relations.

As his responsibilities grew, Olanrewaju-Smart moved into the leadership team of the Speaker’s Office, serving successively as Special Adviser on Political Matters, Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff and Acting Chief of Staff during the 9th and 10th National Assemblies.

The progression made him one of the longest-serving senior legislative aides in the House of Representatives, with experience spanning policy development, executive-legislative relations and parliamentary administration.

• In October 2023, President Bola Tinubu appointed him Senior Special Assistant on Intergovernmental Affairs, where he coordinated engagements between the Presidency and other tiers of government before his elevation to Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).
• Beyond government, Olanrewaju-Smart is also a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI, a Harvard-founded initiative, where he contributes to policy work on artificial intelligence governance, digital public infrastructure and the responsible deployment of emerging technologies.

Earlier in his career, he also participated in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), an exchange programme for emerging global leaders.

What you should know

The Office of the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives) serves as a key liaison between the Presidency and the House of Representatives, helping to coordinate legislative engagements, facilitate communication on executive bills, and manage relations with lawmakers.

The role has become increasingly important as the Tinubu administration navigates budget implementation and policy coordination with the National Assembly.

Earlier this month, the Budget Office of the Federation clarified that a N1.3 billion appropriation for the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC) never translated into actual government spending because the necessary payroll, cash release and procurement processes were not completed, despite the appropriation being approved by the National Assembly.

The clarification underscored the distinction between legislative approval and budget execution, highlighting the need for effective coordination between the executive and legislature—an area in which Olanrewaju-Smart is expected to play a central role in his new position.