Posted by Lieutenant-General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has sent his condolences to the family, friends, and relatives of the late Major General Aderonke Kale (rtd) CFR on behalf of the officers, soldiers, and civilian staff of the Nigerian Army.
In a statement, Director of Army Public Relations Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu said her passing was a huge loss to the Army and the military community at large.
The statement claims that many people will always carry her legacy of selfless commitment to mankind and Nigeria.
Lagbaja asked for her soul to rest in peace and the strength to help her family cope with the irreplaceable loss.
“General Aderonke Kale was raised in a professional household; her mother was a teacher and her father was a pharmacist. She is well-known for changing the perception of women and implementing gender mainstreaming in the Nigerian military.
“She attended St. Anne’s School in Ibadan and Abeokuta Grammar School for her post-primary education after completing her primary school in Lagos and Zaria. She chose to pursue a career in medicine and was accepted into the University College, which subsequently changed its name to the University of Ibadan. She went to the University of London to specialize in psychiatry after earning her medical degree.
After a brief stint of employment in Britain, General Kale returned to Nigeria in 1971 in order to enlist in the Nigerian Army in 1972.
In 1973, she obtained her qualification as a Consultant Psychiatrist, demonstrating her competency as a psychiatrist. In 1982, she rose to the position of Chief Consultant. Her managerial skills were put to use during her tenure from 1980 to 1985 when she was appointed Commanding Officer of the Military Hospital Ibadan.
She thus held the distinction of being Nigeria’s first female military hospital commander. She accomplished the same accomplishment in the Military Hospital in Enugu from 1985 to 1987, and in the Military Hospital in Benin from 1989 to 1990. She was promoted to the post of Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Army Medical Corps and School, in 1991 till 1994, based on her invaluable experience, according to the statement.
The statement claims that she was the first female officer in the Nigerian Army and the sub-region of West Africa to be promoted to Major General in 1994.
“When she was appointed Commandant of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, she at last reached the pinnacle of her career. It further stated, “This is the first time in the Nigerian Army’s history that a female officer has been given the vital duty of overseeing health care for all Nigerian Army soldiers and their families.