Nwaubani was born in
Enugu, Nigeria, to
Chief Chukwuma Hope Nwaubani and
Dame Patricia Uberife Nwaubani on 1 January 1976.[9] Nwaubani was raised by both parents in her hometown
Umuahia,[10]Abia State, among the
Igbo people. Her family is descended from members of the
Nigerian chieftaincy system; her great-grandfather Chief Nwaubani Ogogo Oriaku - the source of her surname - was a famous chief and a trader licensed by the
Royal Niger Company in the late 19th century. His goods included
slaves.[11]
At the age of 10, she left home to attend boarding school at the
Federal Government Girls College Owerri. She studied
Psychology at the
University of Ibadan, Nigeria's premier university.[12] As a teenager, Nwaubani secretly dreamed of becoming a
CIA or
KGB agent.[12] She earned her first income from winning a writing competition at the age of 13.[13] Her mother is a cousin to
Flora Nwapa, the first female African writer to publish a book.[14] In her first year at University, she was a member of the Idia Hall Chess Team, and also a member of the university's (classical music) choir.[15]
Nwaubani was one of the pioneer editorial staff of Nigeria's now defunct NEXT newspapers, established by
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Dele Olojede.[16]
I Do Not Come to You by Chance is Nwaubani's debut novel, published in 2009.[17] Set in the world of
Nigerian email scams, the book tells the story of a young man, Kingsley, who turns to his Uncle Boniface for help in bailing his family out of poverty. In 2019,
Masobe Books earned the rights to publish I Do Not Come to You by Chance in Nigeria.[18]
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani lives in
Abuja, Nigeria, where she works as a consultant.[19]
Influences
Nwaubani has expressed concern over the largely somber tone of African novels.[20] She credits Irish-American writer
Frank McCourt's Pulitzer-winning Angela's Ashes with showing her that she could write on serious issues in a humorous tone.[21] She is also a great admirer of British humorist
P. G. Wodehouse.[22]
Awards
2010: Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book (Africa)[23]