Adaobi Tricia Obinne Nwaubani is a novelist, journalist, essayist and humorist. She was born in Enugu, Nigeria, to Chukwuma Hope Nwaubani and Patricia Uberife Nwaubani. (Her mother named her 'Adaobi', meaning 'first daughter of the family', and 'Tricia', signifying that she was 'from Patricia'. Her father named her 'Obinne', meaning 'heart of a mother' or 'mother's desire' or 'precious to her mother').

As a teenager, she secretly dreamed of becoming a CIA or KGB agent. She studied Psychology at the University of Ibadan. Her first income was from winning a writing competition at the age of 13. 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.