Nigeria’s first female Major-General, Aderonke Kale (Rtd) has died at the age of 84.
She was said to have died in London, United Kingdom on Wednesday from an undisclosed ailment.
The president of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), confirmed Kale’s demise in a statement, describing her passing as an “irreparable loss.”
Kale who was born on July 31, 1939, trained as a medical doctor at the University of Ibadan before specialising in psychiatry at the University of London.
The former major-general worked briefly in England before returning to join the Nigerian army in 1972.
She rose through the ranks in the army, becoming a colonel and deputy commander of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps by 1990.
In 1994, she was promoted to major-general and retired from the army in 1997.
Tinubu mourns
President Bola Tinubu sympathizes with the Kale family, the Nigerian Army, and the society of medical practitioners in Nigeria on the passing of Aderonke Kale, a retired major-general.
The president described her as a pace-setter and her death as a painful loss to the country.
“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.
President Tinubu prayed for the repose of the soul of the late officer and encouraged her beloved family to take solace in the peerless legacy she left behind.
Major-General Kale was a recipient of many awards for her contributions to the field of medicine. She was also a philanthropist who positively impacted many lives.