The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed both tragedy and inspiration across the globe. In this article we introduce Peter Adeeko, who has triumphed in spite of hardship. Against all odds, he has worked relentlessly to foster peace in Nigeria and beyond. Drawing from his childhood experience as a war orphan, he abandoned corporate life as an adult to launch Soulace Africa, a peace-building nongovernmental organization (NGO). Peter found us while seeking mediation training and support for the community he serves, most of whom are victims of extreme violence. As Covid-19 reached Nigeria, we were inspired by the way in which he quickly assessed potential conflicts and mobilized his connections to nurture peace, in the midst of crisis. In spite of constant pandemic-related dark news, we believe Peter’s story may ignite a spark of hope for all of us.

MEET MR. SOULACE

Peter Adeeko is the founder and project lead of Soulace Africa. Involved in day-to-day operations, he is also the link between the board of trustees and advisors.  

As the face of the organization, Peter added, “Some people within our community call me Mr. Soulace.”

Peter explained to us that Soulace Africa is a community-based peace building organization registered in Nigeria.  The initiative’s mission is to mitigate the incidence and impact of violent conflict through community action, such as participatory advocacy, peace building training and community development activities by engaging people that are predisposed to and mostly affected by violent conflict in Nigeria.  

Soulace Africa’s programs target the following groups:

1. Families affected by violent conflict, particularly families of war veterans;

2. Youth who are predisposed to conflict; and

3. Corporations, schools and colleges.

For now, the NGO primarily serves war orphans and widows. 

Peter initiated development programs to cushion the effect of social exclusion and livelihood difficulties on war-affected families.

Soulace Africa has positively impacted the lives of over 250 war widows so far. The NGO has provided vocational and entrepreneurial skills acquisition programs. They have added a post traumatic stress disorder awareness campaign to mitigate the burden of mental health ailments to which these target communities are predisposed. 

For Peter, working with the war-affected families, particularly the war orphans and widows, has been the most rewarding part of the work he does.

He proudly added, “We are also working on building a peace academy, where Nigerian youth across ethnic diversities will be learning peace building skills.”

Peter’s ambitious vision is rooted in humble beginnings.

A WAR ORPHAN’S EPIPHANY

“In so many ways, launching this project is more like a rewrite of my own story, as a war orphan,” Peter explained. His story is remarkable.

Peter’s life was shaped by the direct consequences of violent conflicts. 

His father, a Nigerian soldier, died from combat wounds when Peter was a small child.  Hospital bills drained the family’s savings. When Peter’s mother became ill thereafter, there were no funds left for her hospital care.  Tragically, she also died, leaving Peter an orphan at the age of nine.

Peter describes his childhood formation as being a “thug-of-war.”  His teenage brother succumbed to alcohol abuse and became violent. Peter would go days without food, clothing and shelter. Accessing an education was nearly impossible. He received harsh punishment for late school fees. He recalls being flogged, chased and stripped of his school uniform.

In spite of these hardships, Peter managed to get an education and eventually, a career in the corporate sector.

Determined to find ways to prevent violence and support families affected by war, he said he always believed, “this precarious path to survival could be avoided if we have peace in and around my country.”

In 2015, Peter pivoted from his corporate career to follow his dreams of serving vulnerable communities affected by war. To start his own social services nonprofit, he realized he needed to build new skills. He was offered a scholarship to participate in the Leadership for Change certificate course, through kanthari leadership training institute in Kerala, India. The good fortune of traveling to another country, learning alongside people from around the world was a moment of real awakening for Peter.  

While in India, he had an epiphany that strengthened his new career path, as he described in this kanthariTV talk, 

"If you rotate Africa's map 180 degrees clockwise, you can see a pistol with Nigeria at the trigger. What does this mean? It means if nothing is done now, my children and children of the common man in Nigeria will have to fight a battle that we could have prevented.

My organisation, Soulace Africa, will prevent the next generation of Nigeria from pulling this trigger.”

Drawing from his own experiences and formal education, Peter explains some underlying causes of Nigeria’s notoriously violent conflicts: 

“However it is called, whether genocide, tribal war, insurgency or militancy, the common denominators for those who experience violent conflict include poverty, mass unemployment and continued corruption. These calamities can be traced to leadership inefficiencies and unrepentant colonization of the African continent by the West. This disastrous recipe of instability has contributed to the vicious cycles of poverty that continue to fuel conflicts across the continent.” 

Curbing that violence is also what drives Peter’s motivation to succeed.

Accessing start-up funding for Soulace Africa was challenging. In the beginning, Peter relied on support from friends and relatives. At the moment, he is working hard to scale operations and replicate achievements across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

The organization’s aims are best described by the 16th United Nations sustainable development goal, “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”

Soulace Africa also focuses on related development concerns such as hunger, poverty, health and wellness, quality education, equality, decent income and climate action.  

According to Adeeko, “Our programs are designed to proffer preventive and curative peace building.” 

Once he was fully committed to peace building, Peter also realized his dream was bigger than himself. He mused, “It was during the kanthari leadership course that I discovered it is not sufficient simply to do work that supports people affected by war, but a concerted effort must be made to inculcate peace that will prevent war and violent conflicts.”

BUILDING A PEACE VILLAGE

During the leadership program in India Peter also discovered the world is a global village. He also accepted that alone, he could not possibly affect the scale of social change he envisions.

Through social media, Peter set out to connect Soulace Africa with conflict resolution professionals worldwide. These connections were fruitful for him, “In the past year, I have come to realize that the world needs more mediators than ever.”  After engaging with Interaction Management Associates on Twitter, he discovered we offer a collection of online resources to enrich his knowledge and practice in the field of conflict resolution. 

Peter and I began to discuss ways in which IMA could support Soulace Africa’s peace building efforts. After a few WhatsApp conversations, he shared, “Even more than I could have imagined, I have gained a mentor with over 20 years of mediation practice.”

Peter had no background or formal training in conflict resolution before we connected. Through sheer commitment to studying and optimal use of online resources, he developed a strong grasp of peace building concepts. His tenacity to build skills is palpable as he shared, “The need to be properly trained and certified cannot be overemphasized. And this is where IMA comes in. These added skills are invaluable for the work I do with Soulace Africa.”

In addition to the new skills he has gained, Peter appreciates the connections he has made through our courses, stating, “I also feel like I have a new family across the oceans, with the other peace builders I have met through IMA. I have associates with whom I can share ideas.”

Peter acknowledges Soulace Africa must adapt and grow to meet the resource demands for the scale of peace building programs he envisions. 

One of those programs is Soulace Peace Academy and its extension, The Peace Village.  This project is aimed at increasing the numbers of peace advocates across ethnicities and tribal lines in Nigeria.  The program will offer a three-month residential certificate course in peace building, nonviolence and mediation.  Peter hopes to build a model village that serves as a global center for mediation and nonviolence research in Nigeria.

Peter is also pragmatic. He recognizes the interdependence of economic development and peace building: they are essentially two sides of the same coin. For sustainable peace, communities must have economic security. For this reason, he works with the community to build a foundation of financial independence and stability first and foremost. This is the framework for the global peace village he envisions.

SILVER LININGS of COVID-19

When asked how the pandemic has affected both his vision and the NGO’s operations, Peter explained, “The Covid-19 pandemic is an unfortunate scourge on the human race. As would be expected, it has disrupted Soulace Africa programs.” 

Disrupted, perhaps, but Peter’s determination is unstoppable. In fact, we were delayed in getting this article out because he was busy organizing a relief effort for the community, explained later. I’d say Peter has his priorities in order!

Although the deadly virus took most of the world by surprise, it has exposed the vulnerabilities of developing countries across Africa. Much of the continent was unprepared for an outbreak of this magnitude. Most depend on international aid and imported goods. According to Peter, “Most African states are wallowing in abject poverty with huge infrastructural and capacity deficits.” 

Even before Covid-19, countless Nigerians struggled to survive. The pandemic generated confusion and anxiety throughout the country. Out of desperation, many of the poorest people resorted to crime, exacerbating the pandemic’s tragic impact. Nigeria has experienced a surge in unrest and armed robberies, many in broad daylight. “This takes a real toll on citizens’ sense of security and well-being,” Adeeka explains. 

Nevertheless, Peter sees silver linings, “Covid-19 has not only shown the weaknesses of our political leaders but it has also revealed how well we can unite, in spite of them.” 

Within a short time of the first outbreak in Nigeria, private individuals and corporations mobilized to raise billions of Nigerian Naira to create a Covid-19 intervention fund. Leadership at all levels are rising to the challenge with a range of assistance, from food supply to sanitary and health items. Religious organizations were also highly involved in response efforts.  

This level of coordination, according to Peter, “has also shown what opportunities can be amassed at micro-levels for job creation. This is where Soulace Africa can provide value.”

He explained, “We serve a community that has been locked in poverty and cannot regularly afford three square meals. Most are young, unemployed veterans’ widows who live below the poverty line. They lost their families’ breadwinners to a decade-long insurgency in Nigeria. Some still live with mental health trauma, insomnia and depression.” 

Most of the war widows served by Soulace Africa are excluded from the Nigerian government’s social welfare system. To help them get back on their feet after losing the primary breadwinners of their respective families, the NGO trained several of the women in 2019 to produce African fabrics, arts and crafts.  As a result, most found sustainable sources of income.  The pandemic was a setback, however.  Due to Covid-19 social distancing regulations, they are once again excluded from full participation in society. 

Peter explained his main concerns that, “some of the women, due to economic desperation, could relapse into sex work and begging, in order to make ends meet if this situation continues. Covid-19 is a gunless war that the world will not quickly forget.” 

To mitigate the impact of the Nigerian government’s pandemic lockdown regulations, Peter led a micro-community intervention to support these war widows. He quickly organized a food drive to collect food and get emergency supplies and information to the community. 

While many of us worried about boredom from social distancing, Peter seized an opportunity to cultivate peace.

The pandemic energized him to further pursue his dreams, by ensuring the security of the most vulnerable in the community served by Soulace Africa. Describing this noble endeavor, Peter told me, “Because getting critical and timely information is not automatically accessible to this population, we also launched a health and safety awareness campaign to properly orientate them on issues surrounding the coronavirus. The first tranche of the food bank supported about sixty women with varieties of fresh food items as well as hygiene materials, such as sanitizer and hand washing soap. We also provided fresh water kegs to be posited at strategic places within the community.” 

BUILDING PEACE AMIDST CHAOS

When asked about the role of peace building in the middle of a pandemic, Peter’s response described what I would consider to be an experience most of us share:

“Covid-19 has redefined the concept of peace. Communities and our society in general are going through volatile times. Without a single gun being shot so many lives have been lost. The pandemic has highlighted antisocial behaviors and mental health challenges, such as boredom, hunger, isolation, feelings of being caged and resentment.  Many of these expectation gaps, inadequacies and social dysfunctions have the potential to induce unhealthy rivalries within our communities.”  

Indeed, as a result of this pandemic, rapid change is sweeping across the globe.  Peter reminded me that, for better or worse, our world will never be the same. The pandemic reminds us we are interdependent citizens of the world.  Pressures are mounting for creative solutions to keep our economies stable.  In spite of social distancing, global interactions have never been as entwined as they are in this moment. 

Peace in our world has never been so fragile. 

Peter believes this is why peace building skills are essential. Knowing how to work through conflicts has become imperative on so many levels: personal, familial, community, corporate, governmental and global.

He added, “The potential for peace or conflict will depend on the cultivation of more skills that foster a culture of peace.” 

Bridging differences and building respect across communities, cultures, ethnicities and nationalities is essential to the future Peter seeks.  We do not all have to share common values. We don’t always have to agree. It is essential for our common future, however, to find ways to sustainable security and peace across our planet.

Peter’s vision begins locally, “We at Soulace Africa envision a peaceful world, one in which Africa is not at war with herself. We envision a Nigeria that is governed by social justice and a communal conscience.” 

Peter imagines a world in which peace building is no longer an abstract concept.  

He believes everyone needs to learn the skills in order to navigate the fast-paced reality of globalization. In other words, pandemic or no pandemic, we are in this together.  Our shared humanity can lead us to build solutions for sustainable peace and stability through crises.  

How can we each contribute to Peter’s vision for our world? Where will you begin?

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