Tinubu Appoints Harvard, MIT Fellow As Adviser On NASS Affairs

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives).

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said Olanrewaju-Smart is replacing Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to contest an elective position in his home state.

The appointment, on Sunday, takes immediate effect.

Olanrewaju-Smart was described as a public policy expert who 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 was a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), holds a professional diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Public Relations, and served as a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI, USA, where he focused on AI and Civic Tech.

Olanrewaju-Smart had served in the National Assembly as Research and Media Assistant to the Minority/Majority Leader of the House of Representatives during the 7th and 8th Assemblies.

He later became Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff and eventually Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th and 10th Assemblies.

In October 2023, he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a role he held until his latest appointment.

According to the presidency, his public policy research contributed to several landmark legislations, including the Interest-Free Student Loan Act.

Onanuga added that President Tinubu expects the appointee to “use his experience, intellect, and commitment to strengthening legislative coordination and relations between the Presidency, MDAs and the House of Representatives.”