Macaulay Onyuku Nzefili

Obituary for Lieutenant Colonel Macaulay Onyuku Nzefili (Ret.)   Macaulay Onyuku Nzefili was born on November 22, 1933 at the village of Okolori, Efor, Nigeria and died January 2, 2017 at Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  He is predeceased by his father Nzefili Odigwe, his mother Mary Anashi Nzefili and his son Martin Nzefili. Leaving to mourn are his wife of 58 years Mary (Maryland), daughter Marian (Lagos), son Kenneth (Lagos), daughter Marcella (Maryland), daughter Marjorie (Blair, Toronto), daughter Mildred (Cecil, Virginia), daughter Maryrose (Lagos), and sons Melvin and Macaulay (Lagos). Also leaving to mourn are grandchildren Segun, Demilade, Victory, Flourish, and Emmanuel (Lagos).   Macaulay is a graduate of Government (Warri) College, Ughelli, Nigeria.  An accomplished varsity athlete, he participated in long jump, triple jump and pole vault while at Warri.   He began his career as a clerk with the Nigerian Railway Corporation in 1952 and 1953. Macaulay joined the Nigerian army in 1954 and received his initial training at the Regular Officers’ Special Training School at Teshie, a coastal town in Greater Accra, Ghana. Following his training at Teshie he went to the Mons Officer Cadet Training Unit at Aldershot, England for six months. Following his training at Aldershot he attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Berkshire, England and was commissioned an Officer by Queen Elizabeth II, December 20th, 1957.   Macaulay returned to Nigeria as 2nd Lieutenant with a posting to the Supply and Transport Company of the Nigerian Army. In 1960 he was posted to the 4th Battalion for a tour of duty with the United Nations Peace Keepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at Kinshasa.  He returned to Nigeria after his seven month tour and returned again in 1962 for a second tour of duty with the same Battalion.   From there he was posted to 2nd Battalion at Abeokuta, Nigeria in 1962 and completed a third tour.  After the third tour he was posted to Supply and Transport in Kaduna.   His career rapidly progressed and in 1966 he was appointed Military General Manager with the Nigerian Railways. He held numerous other military appointments until he retired as Lieutenant Colonel in 1970, after the Nigerian civil war. Colonel Nzefili was particularly proud of his of appointment as Aide de Camp to Haile Selassie during Selassie’s visit to Nigeria in 1962.   Colonel Nzefili will be greatly missed by his family and friends in the United States, Nigeria and Canada.