Aderonke Kale, the first female major-general in the Nigerian Army, has passed away at the age of eighty-four.
The president of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), E. O. Okafor, announced Kale’s passing in a statement on Thursday.
In addition to calling her death an “irreparable loss,” Okafor said that her family would soon make announcements regarding her funeral.
In a statement, former army spokesperson S.K. Usman described Kale as a pathfinder in the nation’s medical and military history.
“AANI and indeed the nation will continue to remember the remarkable legacy of the iconic Major General Aderonke Kale (rtd) mni, who had been a trailblazer in Nigeria’s medical and military history. May her gentle soul continue to rest in peace, Amen,” the statement read.
The announcement stated that she died on Wednesday in London but did not provide the cause of death.
After completing his medical training at University College, which subsequently changed its name to the University of Ibadan, Kale went on to the University of London to specialise in psychiatry.
Thomas Adeoye Lambo, the first psychiatrist in Africa, served as her inspiration to become a psychiatrist.
Born on July 31, 1939, Kale spent a short time working in Britain before moving back to Nigeria in 1971.
By 1990, she had advanced through the ranks of the army to become the deputy commander of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps and a colonel.
At first, she served as the army’s top psychiatrist. Later, she was appointed Chief Medical Officer of the Nigerian Medical Corps, a position she held until 1996.
In 1994, she received a promotion to Major General, and in 1997, she left the service.
Aderonke had five sons, one of them being Yemi Kale, the former Statistician-General of Nigeria. She was married to Oladele Kale, a professor of social health and preventive medicine.
Major-General Kale was a trailblazer, according to a statement released by President Bola Tinubu’s media assistant Ajuri Ngelale, who also said that Major-General Kale embodied professionalism and bravery.
“Major-General Aderonke Kale was a pioneer in her field. She embodied the courage, professionalism, capacity, and resilience of the Nigerian woman. She thrived and conquered where many feared to tread. She was a towering figure; an inimitable role model,” President Tinubu remarked.
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