President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Fatima Suleiman Zuntu as the new Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), marking a significant leadership change in Nigeria’s biosafety regulatory framework.
Dr. Zuntu brings a strong blend of medical expertise, public health experience, and international development consulting to her new role. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine degree (2016) from the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, and a Master’s degree in Public Health (2021) from the University of South Wales, United Kingdom.
Over the years, she has built an extensive professional portfolio across Nigeria’s healthcare system and international development sector.
Between December 2023 and June 2025, she served as a Health, Nutrition & Population Consultant (Short-Term Consultant) with the World Bank Group, contributing to global health and development initiatives.
Earlier, she worked as a Resident Doctor in Public Health and Community Medicine at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna State from January 2021 to January 2022. She also held a leadership role as Team Lead for Provider Network Management at NNPC Health Maintenance Organization Ltd between October 2019 and December 2020.
Her medical career includes roles as Medical Officer at Kapital Hospital and Maternity Nigeria Ltd in Abuja, as well as at the Central Bank of Nigeria, where she served from May 2018 to March 2019.
She began her professional journey as a Medical House Officer at the National Hospital Abuja, completing her internship from January 2017 to January 2018.
Dr. Zuntu is a Fellow of the West African Institute of Public Health and a member of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, as well as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. She has also completed multiple advanced certifications in areas such as climate science, humanitarian response, COVID-19 management, GIS for health monitoring and evaluation, health insurance systems, gender and reproductive health, governance, and human resource policy.
Beyond her professional credentials, she has received recognition including an Award of Excellence from the National Association of Northern Nigeria Students.
In the political space, she has been actively involved in grassroots mobilization and campaign coordination. She currently serves as National Coordinator for the Tinubu/Kashim grassroots mobilization structure (2022–present) and has been a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in both 2019 and 2023. She also participated as a National Delegate at the APC Presidential Primaries in 2022.
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Her appointment is expected to strengthen the National Biosafety Management Agency’s capacity in regulating biotechnology and ensuring environmental and public health safety across Nigeria.
