Tinubu gives new House of Reps job to 40-year-old Harvard-trained aide after former adviser quits politics

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

• He replaces Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to contest an elective political office.

• Olanrewaju-Smart is a Harvard-trained public policy expert with years of experience working in the National Assembly and the Presidency.

• The Presidency said Tinubu expects him to strengthen coordination between the executive arm, MDAs, and the House of Representatives.

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

The appointment takes immediate effect and comes after the former occupant of the office, Ibrahim Olanrewaju, stepped down to pursue an elective political position in his home state.

Announcing the development in a statement on Sunday, the President's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said:

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"This appointment is with immediate effect."

At just 40 years old, Olanrewaju-Smart is no stranger to the corridors of power. Before this latest appointment, he served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a position he had held since October 2023.

His academic profile is also packed. 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 in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Professional Diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Public Relations.

He also participated in leadership and policy programmes as a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, with a focus on artificial intelligence and civic technology.

According to the Presidency, Olanrewaju-Smart has built extensive experience in the National Assembly over the years.

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The statement said:

"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 Presidency added that President Tinubu believes the new adviser has the experience and expertise needed to strengthen working relations between the Presidency, ministries, departments and agencies, and the House of Representatives.

The office of the Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters plays a key role in coordinating communication and legislative engagement between the executive and lawmakers, helping to facilitate the passage of government bills and other policy priorities.