Josephine Philip Efiong, born in 1935 to a British father and a Nigerian mother, passed away on May 21, 2024, at the age of 88 after a brief illness. She is survived by her sister and seven children, having lost her first son in 2022.
Josephine was a dedicated teacher in Zaria when she met her husband, Lt. Philip Efiong, in 1956. The couple married the same year. Philip Efiong rose through the ranks of the Nigerian Army, achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel by the time the events leading to the Nigerian Civil War occurred.
During the civil war, Josephine and her husband found themselves on the Biafran side of the conflict. Philip Efiong rose to the rank of Major General and served as second in command to the Biafran Head of State, General Ojukwu.
Josephine’s legacy is marked by her resilience and her role as a supportive spouse during a tumultuous period in Nigerian history.
