Retro: Inspiring story of Aderonke Kale, Nigeria’s first female Army General
It is no longer news that some women have learnt and her perfect at taking up jobs specifically meant for the men. They do not care about anything they go through as long as they achieve their goals.
Today, we are taking a look at the first Nigerian woman to ever become a Major-General (two-star general) in the Army and in any of the three wings of the Nigerian Armed Forces which includes the Navy and Air Force. Her name is Major-General Aderonke Kale.
Despite many years of being out of service, Kale’s record still remains unbroken it has only been equaled to the achievement of Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu of the Nigerian Navy. In 1996 Kale retired from the force.
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Retired Kale was reportedly trained as medical practitioner before she decided to join the Nigerian Army as an officer. She specialized in psychiatry. According to her, she disclosed that she was inspired to join psychiatry by the late medical giant, Professor Thomas Adeoye Lambo. Africa’s first professor of psychiatry.
EARLY DAYS IN THE ARMY:
As a colonel and medical commandant in the Army, in 1990 Kale attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS SEC12), Kuru, Plateau state. Upon graduation from Kuru, she received her graduation certificate in 1990 as a colonel from general Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, who was the military president. Kale also returned to the Military Hospital, Benin, Edo state where she resumed duties as the commanding officer.
From there, she was later moved to Lagos State where she served as the deputy commandant of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps , Ojo where she was later promoted to the rank of a Brigadier General, thus becoming the first woman in Nigeria to become a one-star general.
In July, 2015 Kale became the first female brigadier-general. A role which was appointed by the British Army. However, as the commandant of the corps she reports to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) concerning the efficiency and quality of the medical, dental and nursing services received by personnel of the Nigerian Army.
The NAMC has the following units:
- Field Ambulance (Fd Amb)
-Regimental Aid Post (RAP)
-Company Aid Post (CAP)
-Main Dressing Station (MDS)
-Advanced Dressing Station (ADS)
-Field Hospital (Fd Hosp), which makes her role from being a minor one.
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In 1994, she broke the record not only in Nigeria but in West Africa with her appointment as the first ever female Major General in the Nigerian Army. Her job was to see to the psychological problems of the personnel of the Nigerian Army in addition to other duties related to administration and management.
RETIREMENT:
Retirement came in 1996 under the general Sani Abacha regime. Kale reportedly retired honorably and till date, she remains a mentor to many Nigerian women especially those in the military. Some analysts have described her retirement as an ethnic purge by Abacha under the circumstances of an alleged coup reportedly masterminded by Lt. general Oladipo Diya of the Yoruba ethnic group as she was retired alongside a batch that included many others from her geopolitical zone.
HONORS:
On February 13, 2012, she was honored at the 17th edition of THISDAY annual awards for excellence (Lifetime Achievement Awards). While in the army, she was a close associate of IBB’s chief of intelligence, Colonel Halilu Akilu.
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Source: Legit.ng
