Tinubu appoints Olanrewaju-Smart as National Assembly adviser
President Tinubu has appointed public policy expert Dr Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), replacing Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju.
President Bola Tinubu appointed public policy expert Dr Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives). He replaces Hon. Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned to run for elective office. Olanrewaju-Smart previously served as Senior Special Assistant on Intergovernmental Affairs and held senior administrative roles within the National Assembly.
The appointment reflects the President’s strategy of placing experienced professionals in key positions. Olanrewaju-Smart brings a background in public policy and legislative affairs, which will be valuable in managing the administration’s relationship with the House of Representatives.
This echoes the 2019 appointments of legislative liaisons under President Buhari, which also sought to strengthen executive-legislative relations. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a President seeking to manage relations with the National Assembly.
The winners: Olanrewaju-Smart, who has gained a key position; and the Presidency, which gains a skilled legislative liaison. The losers: the opposition, which faces a more effective executive; and the National Assembly, which must work with the new adviser.
Bottom Line: Tinubu has appointed a new legislative adviser. The goal is to improve executive-legislative relations. The question is whether the new adviser can deliver.