Lieutenant-General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has offered condolences on behalf of the Nigerian Army’s officers, troops, and civilian staff to the family, relatives, and friends of the deceased Major General Aderonke Kale (rtd) CFR.
Chief of Army Staff described her death as a significant loss to the Army and the military community as a whole in a statement signed by Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations.
According to the statement, her selfless devotion to Nigeria and humanity will live on in the hearts of many.
Lagbaja prayed for her soul’s repose and for the family’s strength to accept the irreplaceable loss.
The statement read:
“General Aderonke Kale, renowned for reshaping the face of women and gender mainstreaming in the Nigerian military, was born into a family of professionals; her father was a pharmacist, and her mother a teacher.
“She had her primary education in Lagos and Zaria, and had her post-primary education in St. Anne’s School, Ibadan, and Abeokuta Grammar School, respectively. She opted to study Medicine and successfully gained admission into the University College, which later became the University of Ibadan. After graduating as a medical doctor, she proceeded to the University of London to specialize in Psychiatry.
“General Kale worked briefly in Britain and returned to Nigeria in the year 1971 to join the Nigerian Army in 1972.
“Her competence as a psychiatrist was recognized 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. In 1985 to 1987, she performed the same feat in the Military Hospital, Enugu, and from 1989 to 1990 in the Military Hospital, Benin. With such vital experience, she was elevated to the position of Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Army Medical Corps and School in 1991 till 1994.”
cc: Daily Post Ng
