Zanna MUHAMMAD was born on the 5th November 1957 at Potiskum. He finished from Yerwa Practicing Primary school, Maiduguri in 1972, attended Government College, Maiduguri in 1973 – 1977, Bayero University, Kano in 1977 – 1983 and Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London in 1985 – 1990. In these academic

pursuits, he was awarded degrees of B.sc in Botany in 1983, M.sc in Plant Pathology in 1986, DIC in Plant Pathology in 1986 and a PhD in Nematology in 1990.

As a scholar of repute, in pursuit of excellence, he also has numerous professional qualifications such as CBiol. MIBiol. (London), MNIM (Nigeria) and other certificates such as:
    - Certificate of Attendance of National Workshop on UN Guiding Principles on
      Internally Displaced Persons, Organized by National Commission for Refugees and 
      Norwegian Refugee Council, Jos, Nigeria, February 2003.
   - Certificate in Disaster Management, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK, 
     September, 2003.
   - Certificate in Disaster Risk Reduction and Development, Potchefstroom
     University, Potchefstroom, South Africa, November 2003.
   - Certificate in Disaster Assessment and Coordination, Office for the Coordination of
     Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Geneva, November 2004.
 
In the course of his service to this nation, he has attended several relevant Disaster management courses, conferences and workshops in Both Nigeria and abroad such as:

- National Workshop on United Nation Guiding Principles on Internally Displaced Persons, Organized by the National Commission for Refugees and the Norwegian Refugee Council at Hill Station Hotel, Jos, 17^th – 19^th February 2003.

- International Disaster Management Course at Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre, UK, 18^th August – 12^th September 2003.

- A 3-Day Disaster Management Seminar, Organized by Doctors on Call, Lagos at Nicon Hilton Hotel, Abuja, 22^nd – 24^th September 2003.

- Disaster Risk Reduction and Development Course at African Centre for Disaster Studies, Potchefstroom University, South Africa, 17^th – 28^th November 2003.

- United Nation Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Africa Induction Course, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7^th – 19^th November 2004.

- International Disaster Management Course, Disaster Management Centre,      Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK, 9^th – 27^th May 2005.

- International Conference on Energy, Environment and Disasters (INCEED 2005), Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, 24^th – 30^th July 2005. Presented a paper and co-chaired a session.

- United Nation Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Refresher Course Africa-Europe, Salzburg, Austria, 6^th – 10^th October 2005.

- First Bird Flu Summit, Organized by New Fields Exhibition Inc., Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Viginia, USA. 27^th – 28^th February 2006.

- The Third International Conference on Early Warning, Organized by       ISDR/German federal Government, 27^th – 29^th March 2006.

- Second Bird Flu Summit, Organized by New Fields Exhibition Inc., Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Viginia, USA. 28^th – 29^th  June 2006.

-  International Disaster Reduction Conference (IDRC) 2006, Organized by UNESCO, GADR, GDIN AND UN/ISDR, Davos, Switzerland. 27^th August – 1^st September 2006. Served as a panelist on a plenary session on African sub-saharan region: Risk reduction needs and actions.

- Delegate, Nigerian Delegation to the 24^th Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, Nairobi, Kenya. 5^th – 9^th February 2007.

HONOURS AND DISTINCTIONS:

- Awarded Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarship Tenable in the UK, September 1985 – October 1988.

- NEMA’s Director General Commendation for outstanding performance, March 2004

WORKING EXPERIENCE:

In his working carrier, he has held several positions of senior lecturer in 1998 with Department of Biological Sciences and Reader (associate Professor) in Department of Crop Sciences, University of Maiduguri in 1999. He was a Visiting Lecturer, Department of Crop Production, Federal University of Technology, Yola from September 1999 – December 2007, and a Senior Lecturer (Sabbatical), Department of Crop Production, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, September 1999 to October 2000.

Until his promotion to the post of Acting Director, Department of Training, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Presidency, he was assistant Director, Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, later Assistant Director Planning research and Forecasting, and deputy Director Planning, Research and forecasting.

In addition to the above positions held, he undertook several added responsibilities of Head, Department of Biological Sciences; Member, University Senate; Coordinator, Arid zone ecology, Centre for Arid Zone Studies; Member, Centre for Arid Zone Studies Management Board; Member, University Governing Council, all with University of Maiduguri.

His membership also include Yobe State Government Transition Committee, 1999, Visitation panel to Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, 1999, University of Jos Governing Council, 2000 - April 2004; National Technical Sub-Committee on General Environmental Pollution, National Committee on Ecological Problems, Ecological Fund Office, The Presidency, December 2000 to July 2003; Governing Board, National Commission for Refugees, 2003 - November 2004; Member, Presidential Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, 2004 and Visitation panel to Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, 2004.

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP POSITION

Apart from his leadership position as External examiner to Nigeran Defence Academy, Ramat Polytechnic Maidugri, College of Education, Science and Technology, Bama, Crop Department, University of Maiduguri and Federal College of Education (Technical) Potiskum, he was also a course Director for Biology for Federal Ministry of Education and Youth Development, Borno state and a referee/Assessor research Journal of Science and Annals of Borno, University of Maiduguri. He is also a member, advisory board for Nigerian Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Federal university of Technology, Yola.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

- Post-doc research fellow, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.

- Member, Desertification Research Project, Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Maiduguri.

- Consultant Nematologists, Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands Conservation project (IUCN funded project), Nguru, Yobe State, Nigeria.

- Resource person, Lake Chad Research Institute, Maiduguri.

- Consultant, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Lagos.

- Nigerian coordinator, Research linkage programme between Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maiduguri and Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES/ASSOCIATIONS:

He is a member of American Society of Nematologists, Nigerian Society for Plant Protection, British Society for Parasitology, Royal Institute of Biology, Afro-Asian Society of Nematology, Association of Applied Biology, Nigerian Institute of Management, African Society of Nematology, International Association of Emergency Managers and the Vice President of Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction and African Council on Disaster Reduction and Management. He is also a member and National Mobilizer United Nation Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC).

PUBLICATIONS

- 22 Papers in conference proceedings, chapter in a book and scientific   journals.
- Developed/Chaired/Member on several policies papers/document on Disaster Management for the National Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria.
- A prolific lecturer/speaker on Disaster Management.