Josephine Okwuekeleke Tolefe

Captain Josephine Okwuekeleke Tolefe (born December 15, 1931 in Aniocha, Delta State, Nigeria) was the first female commissioned officer in the Nigerian Army. She was the first female military officer and the first female to attain the rank of an Army Captain in Nigeria.[1][2]

Captain Josephine Okwuekeleke Tolefe
Born(1931-12-15)December 15, 1931
Died2014 (Aged 83)
NationalityNigerian
Alma materMidwives Training College, High Coombe Surrey, United Kingdom
OccupationFormer Nigerian Military Officer
Years active1961–1967

Personal life and educational background

She was born on the 15th of December, 1931 in Ogwashi-Ukwu, the southern part of Aniocha in Delta State, Nigeria.[3] She attended Midwives Training College, High Coombe Surrey, United Kingdom to study Nursing and graduated as a registered nurse under the General Nursing Council for England and Wales in August, 1956.[4]

Career

Josephine was a professional nurse but she decided to join the Nigerian Army because she was impressed by the look of the women in the British Army and the way they defended their country.[5] After joining the Army, she was appointed as Second Lieutenant in 1961. Two years after, she was appointed Army Captain.

Although Josephine was celebrated, but she and her female colleagues faced many challenges as regards to their gender. She retired voluntarily from service on 5 February 1967 and passed on in 2014.[6]

References
  1. "First Women: Josephine Okwuekeleke Tolefe Is The First Woman To Become An Army Captain In Nigeria". Woman.NG. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  2. "Vanguard News". Meet the first female army officer in Nigeria. 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  3. Osuyi, Paul (2011-12-12). "Nigeria's first female Army Captain:I carry military discipline in my blood". Africa Defense Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  4. "Global Sentinel". Global Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  5. "Meet the first female army officer in Nigeria". Vanguard News. 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  6. "Nigeria's first female commissioned officer is dead". Facebook. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.