President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Fatima Zuntu as the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency.

In a statement on Monday, Chris Ugwuegbulam, head of information and public relations at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the appointment took effect from April 16.

He noted that Zuntu will serve an initial four-year term in line with Section 5 of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act, 2015. She is a public health professional and policy strategist with experience in implementing national programmes.

He said Zuntu is a public health professional and policy strategist with experience in implementing national programmes.

Ugwuegbulam added that the president has charged the new NBMA chief to apply her expertise toward strengthening and advancing the agency’s mandate.

Her appointment comes amid reported scrutiny over leadership qualifications within the National Biosafety Management Agency.

In December 2025, a non-governmental organisation filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to verify the academic and professional credentials of Bello Bwari, the former Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency.

The group raised concerns that Bwari, who is trained as a lawyer, may not have met the statutory requirements for the position.

It cited Section 5 of the NBMA Act, which provides that the agency’s chief executive should possess at least a master’s degree in biological sciences or a related discipline.

In its request to the Federal Ministry of Environment, the organisation asked for details on Bwari’s qualifications, as well as documents outlining the process that led to his appointment.

The organisation criticised what it described as a lack of transparency, warning that such concerns could undermine public confidence in biosafety regulation and scientific governance in Nigeria.

It added that the outcome of the FOI request could set an important precedent for accountability in regulatory agencies, particularly those responsible for public health, environmental protection, and biotechnology oversight.