Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu

Itunu Hotonu is Nigeria’s First Female Rear Admiral.

She is Nigerian Armed Forces’ second female 2-star general. The first was Major-General Aderonke Kale who retired in 1997.

Born 18th January, 1959 in Badagry, Lagos State, Itunu is the first child in a family of four girls. She belongs to the Fon tribe who spread into the Dahomey kingdom or present day Republic of Benin. The Fon tribe is famous for the Dahomey Amazons, the kingdom’s all-female military regiment.

Hotonu graduated with a BSc in Architecture from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1985, did her NYSC and practiced her profession for 2 years before enrolling in the Nigerian Navy.

Beauty, Charisma:

She carries on with the gait of a sleek, beautiful black African woman combined with the strength and confidence of a man. An inevitable reminder of her ancestry and the upbringing of a father whom she says raised her as a boy. She however, said that training as a naval officer was tough but it contributed to her fitness and discipline.

At the 2018 WIMBIZ conference, a gathering of Africa’s Women in Business and Public service, she caught quite a stair and the admiration of every women present.

She wore a Grace Jones hair cut, well cut black pants and a 4 inch pair of sharp pointed court shoes. It was even more amazing when she stepped up to the podium to receive an award. At 60, she was as spritely as a teenager as she stepped up the stairs causing a spontaneous standing ovation even before she even took the microphone.

Resilience:

Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu charged women never to be cowered by male colleagues as she has learnt to ride the storms by squaring up to them. According to her, “if a man shouts ‘heh’ at you, turn around, look him in the eye and scream ‘heh, heh, heh, heh’.” She cautioned however, that the scenario must be different when dealing with spouses but that care be taken when choosing one’s spouse.

When cornered at the WIMBIZ conference by younger female admirers she put up no airs whatsoever as she chatted as though she was within their age bracket.

She told them that at a tender age, she was already doing all the ‘manly’ chores in the house. She could repair sockets and drive vehicles. In her family, parents and siblings encouraged one another to aim for the highest goals and achievements.

In an interview with the Guardian Newspapers, Rear Admiral Hotonu recommended resilience especially when you “find yourself being in an overwhelming minority, resilience when you find the demands of family competing with the demands of work, resilience when you just feel like giving up…”

Her professional expertise covers: structural designs, military, strategic planning and communications, crisis management and communications, command and international relations.

Hotonu’s ‘Firsts’ and recognitions:

1. First female military officer to attend the National Defence College (formerly National War College).
2. First female officer to be recommended as a Directing Staff (Instructor) at the Armed Forces, Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Nigeria.
3. First female architect in all the arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
4. Most Outstanding Performance Award as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Navy Post Service Housing Scheme (NNPSHS). This took place when the Nigerian Navy was celebrating its 54th anniversary,
5. Best Overall Graduating Student in a class of 73 students at the National Defence College, Abuja. This happened in the 2003-2004 set as a member of Course 12.
6. Commander-in-Chief’s Prize and the Commandant’s Prize for the Best Research.

Some Professional achievements:

As an architect, Itunu Hotonu contributed immensely to improvements in the Nigerian Navy facilities, some of which include:

1. Building the NOWA Educational Centre complete with a creche, nursery, primary and junior secondary schools with boarding facilities.
2. As Managing Director, Nigerian Navy Post Service Housing Scheme, Karshi, Nassarawa State she built over 1,000 houses.
3. Increased the housing scheme’s water reservoir capacity from 60,000 litres to 600,000 litres.

Rear Admiral Hotonu has served Nigeria not only locally but as a military representative overseas. She features as keynote speaker at many events, inspiring women to break glass ceilings, overcome stereotypes and remain unstoppable.

Now retired from the Navy Itunu Hotonu is married to architect Abayomi Hotonu with whom she has three children.