Professor Viola Onwuliri is the Foreign Affairs Minister of State 1 in Nigeria. She is the elected Representative for Africa on the Governing Council of the International Aids Society (IAS) for the control and elimination of HIV/AIDS, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The first Nigerian and the first African female to be elected into this position.

Professor Viola Onwuliri was previously a professor of biochemistry at Federal University of Technology Owerri, (FUTO) Nigeria and the President of the FUTO Women Association. She served as deputy Dean for the faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria for seven years. She has acted as Dean of the college of Medicine and Head of the department of biochemistry at the University of Jos. She was selected as Deputy Governor nominee for Imo State, Nigeria during the 2011 elections.