Major General Aderonke Kale (rtd), Nigeria’s first female to attain the rank of Major General in the Nigerian Army, is dead. She died in London on Wednesday, November 8, at the age of 84.
General Kale was also the first female Commandant of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps (NAMC).
Born on July 31, 1939, of a pharmacist father and mother who was a teacher, Aderonke Kale had her primary education in Lagos State and Zaria, Kaduna State and was enrolled at St. Anne’s School, Ibadan and Abeokuta Grammar School for her secondary education.
She trained as a medical doctor at University College, which later became the University of Ibadan (UI). She then proceeded to the University of London, where she specialised in psychiatry.
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Working briefly in Britain, General Kale returned to Nigeria in 1971, joining the Army a year later in 1972. Her competence as a psychiatrist was recognised in 1973, when she qualified as a consultant psychiatrist, and in 1982, she became chief consultant.
In the course of her service from 1980 to 1985, her management acumen came to bear in her career when she became the Commanding Officer of the Military Hospital Ibadan. She thus had the distinction of being the first woman to command a military hospital in Nigeria. From 1985 to 1987, she performed the same feat in the Military Hospital, Enugu, and from 1989 to 1990 in the Military Hospital, Benin.
An alumnus of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), General Kale was elevated to the position of Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Army Medical Corps and School, in 1991, with promotion to the rank of Brigadier General, becoming the first female Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army and the West Africa sub-region.
In 1994, she became the first female officer to be promoted to the rank of Major General in the Nigerian Army and, again, in the West African sub-region.
She attained the peak of her career when she became the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps (NAMC), the first time in the history of the Nigerian Army that a female officer was entrusted with the crucial responsibility of healthcare for all Army personnel and their families. She retired from the Army in 1997.
Married to Professor Oladele Kale, a distinguished Professor of Preventive and Social Medicine, General Kale was the mother of five sons, with one, Yemi Kale, becoming the Statistician-General of Nigeria and Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria (2011–2021).
In 2011, shortly after the introduction of females into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) programme, the female hall of residence was named after General Kale.
She was a member of many groups and organisations, including the Nigerian Medical Council, West African College of Physicians, Institute of Management Consultants, Nigerian Medical Association, Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, and the World Psychiatrists Association.
She also contributed to the development of medicine, especially psychiatry, through her participation in seminars, both nationally and internationally, at which she highlighted, through her contributions, the peculiar circumstances of psychiatric and general medical practice in Nigeria and the military.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu joined Nigerians in mourning the death of Gen. Kale, stating that “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 of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI) expressed deep sorrow at the “irreparable loss” of General Kale, saying the nation will continue to remember her “remarkable legacy” as an iconic “trailblazer in Nigeria’s medical and military history.”
The Nigerian Army said she was “the shining veteran of the Nigerian Army; she exuded unequalled commitment, diligence, and unquestionable loyalty, which paved the way as she steadily rose through the ranks to become the first female officer of the Nigerian Army to attain the enviable height of Major General.”
We, at Daily Trust newspaper, also join Nigerians in mourning this great woman and hope that her legacy will be built upon.
General Kale is remembered for reshaping the face of women, gender mainstreaming in the Nigerian military, and exemplary role of showing that a woman can successfully handle the responsibility for the healthcare of all Nigerian soldiers at all levels.
Apart from breaking the career ceiling, Kale is known for her graceful nature, elegance and always properly attired for every occasion, personifying the quintessential Nigerian woman while at the same time modern, progressive and forward-looking.
An exceptional military leader and a beacon of inspiration for so many young girls, she will be missed by her family, vicarious mentees, the Nigerian military, the nation, and Africa for her pioneering roles. May her soul rest in peace.
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