Viola Onwuliri is the first daughter of the Royal Family of His Highness Eze Cletus and Ugoeze Dorathy Oparaoji of Amuzi, Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, Imo State, Nigeria[1] She was born in Lagos in 1956.

[1] She later attended the University of Jos where she earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), an MSc in Applied Organic Chemistry, and a PhD in Molecular Biochemistry.

[8] She caused a stir in late 2013 as Foreign Minister when she requested that the Imo Governor at the time give an expenditure account of monies in form of allocations from the Federal Government he received on behalf of Imo State, including Sure-P Fund, Erosion control, Flood money, LGA Allocations, NDDC allocations and other Sundry monies[8] As Foreign Affairs Minister she worked to re-establish and improve relationships with Nigerians in the Diaspora, as a first step towards creating an environment to attract Diaspora Nigerians' participation in accomplishing the Agenda of the President and to attract increased Foreign Direct Investment and Foreign Direct Remittances which rose to 8billion dollars and 21 billion dollars respectively during her tenure,[20][21] working to promote respect of and improve the treatment of Nigerians in the diaspora; and she became the first seating Nigerian Minister to be officially hosted at the esteemed historically Black University, Howard University.

[25] Onwuliri was the Chairperson of the African continental women's society SWAAN and worked as Principal Investigator and Project Director in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

[26][27][28] President Goodluck Jonathan moved Onwuliri from the Foreign Office to be the Minister of State for Education in October 2014 when Ezenwo Nyesom Wike resigned.