President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Fatima Suleiman Zuntu as the new Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), effective April 16, 2026.
The appointment was announced on April 20 in a statement issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and signed by its Head of Information and Public Relations, Chris Ugwuegbulam.
Dr. Zuntu succeeds in the leadership of the agency tasked with regulating modern biotechnology and ensuring the safe handling, transfer, and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Nigeria. The Presidency said her appointment, made in line with the NBMA Act, 2015, is for an initial term of four years.
According to the statement, the President expects the new appointee to deploy her expertise in advancing the agency’s mandate in the national interest. She was described as a public health professional and policy strategist with a strong record in delivering impactful national programmes.
Before her appointment, Zuntu served as a Health, Nutrition and Population Consultant with the World Bank Group from December 2023 to June 2025. She has also held roles as a Medical Officer at Kapital Hospital and Maternity Nigeria Ltd in Abuja and at the Central Bank of Nigeria between May 2018 and March 2019. She completed her housemanship at the National Hospital, Abuja, in 2018.
Her professional experience spans clinical practice, health systems management, and international development. She previously served as Team Lead, Provider Network at NNPC Health Maintenance Organisation Ltd and worked as a Resident Doctor at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna.
Dr. Zuntu is also the founder of the Suleiman Zuntu Foundation, a non-governmental organisation focused on expanding access to essential social and development services.
She holds a Bachelor of Medicine degree from the University of Maiduguri and a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of South Wales. She is a Fellow of the West African Institute of Public Health and a member of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
The NBMA plays a central role in regulating biotechnology in Nigeria, particularly as the country expands the adoption of genetically modified crops and bioengineering innovations. In recent years, the agency has maintained that approved genetically modified foods are safe for consumption and has moved to integrate emerging technologies such as QR codes, blockchain, and artificial intelligence into its regulatory processes.
