President Tinubu Mourns Nigeria’s First Female Major-General, Aderonke Kale, Who Passed Away At 84

Following the passing of Major-General Aderonke Kale (rtd), Presidentof Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, extends his condolences to the Kale family, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigerian medical community.

Kale, aged 84, was well known for being the first female commander of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps and the first female major general in the history of the Nigerian Army. In 1997, she announced her retirement from the Nigerian Army. 

According to a Statement signed by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President, Tinubu described Major-General Kale as a pace-setter and her death as a painful loss to Nigeria.

“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,” the President said.

The retired major general was said to have passed away in London on Wednesday, though the cause of death remains unknown. 

President Tinubu prayed for the late officer’s soul to rest and urged her cherished family to find comfort in the extraordinary legacy she left them.

Aderonke was the mother of five sons, one of them being Yemi Kale, the former statistician general of Nigeria. She was married to Oladele Kale, a professor of preventive and social medicine.

Born on July 31, 1939, Kale attended the University of Ibadan to train as a physician before focusing in psychiatry at the University of London.

Before rejoining the Nigerian army in 1972, the former major-general had a brief stint of employment in England.

After rising through the ranks of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, Kale became a colonel and deputy commander in 1990.

She was made a major-general in 1994 and left the service in 1997.

Glamour Adah

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