Zubairu Dada an haife shi a ranar 28 ga Maris, 1952 a Minna, Jihar Neja. Yayi makarantar firamare a Minna, 1958-1964 Ya kammala karatun Turanci da Faransanci a jami'ar Ahmadu Bello zaria 1974 sannan ya yi digirin digirgir a fannin shari’a da diflomasiyya a Jami’ar Jos 1990. Ya fara aiki a matsayin jami'in yada labarai a shekarar 1975 a jihar Arewa maso yamma sannan ya kai matsayin babban sakatare a shekarar 1986. Sannan ya kasance darakta na MAMSER (Mass Mobilisation for Self Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery) daga 1992. -1993 da Darakta, National Orientation Agency (NOA) daga 1993-1999. An nada shi jakadan Najeriya a kasar Poland daga shekarar 1999 zuwa 2003 da kuma babban kwamishinan Najeriya a jamhuriyar Mozambique tare da samun karbuwa a jamhuriyar Madagascar daga 2004 zuwa 2007. Har zuwa lokacin da aka nada shi Minista, ya yi Kwamishinan kudi da Tattalin Arziki 2011 – 2016. A shekarar 2019 shugaba Muhammadu Buhari ya nadashi a matsayin Karamin Ministan Harkokin Waje, kuma memba a Cibiyar Gudanarwa ta Najeriya (NIM) da Cibiyar Hulda da Jama'a ta Najeriya (NIPR).