Top Nigerian army general dies (PHOTO)

Aderonke Kale, Nigeria’s first female major-general, is dead.

E. O. Okafor, president of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), confirmed Kale’s demise in a statement on Thursday.

Okafor described her passing as an “irreparable loss”, adding that burial arrangements would be announced by her family.

“AANI and indeed the nation will continue to remember the remarkable legacy of the iconic Major General Aderonke Kale (rtd) mni, who had been a trailblazer in Nigeria’s medical and military history. May her gentle soul continue to rest in peace, Amen,” the statement issued by S. K. Usman, former army spokesperson, said.

Although the cause of her death is unclear as at the time of this report, Kale is reported to have died in London on Wednesday.

Kale who born on July 31, 1939, trained as 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.

Kale 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.

Aderonke was married to Oladele Kale, a professor of preventive and social medicine, and was a mother of five sons, including Yemi Kale, former statistician-general of Nigeria.