Few Nigerian women had a voice in journalism and literature when Adaora Lily Ulasi entered both fields.

In a career that included work for the BBC and Voice of America, she became one of Nigeria’s first female newspaper editors, establishing herself in a profession largely dominated by men. With sharp editorial judgement and a firm commitment to storytelling, she made her mark in the press while also pursuing her passion for fiction.

Bringing Western detective fiction into Nigerian settings, she reimagined a genre long rooted in Western literature. Her whodunits wove through the language, humour, and complexities of everyday life, capturing local speech and culture with striking authenticity. Many Thing You No Understand and The Man from Sagamu are among the works that defined her approach to crime fiction.

Her storytelling reflected the contradictions of a rapidly changing society, offering both entertainment and subtle social critique.