BIOGRAPHY OF MSGR PAUL EMONYON

BIOGRAPHY OF RT. REV. MONSIGNOR BRIG. GEN. PAUL OKOEBOR EMONYON

 

Rt. Rev. Monsignor Brig. Gen. Paul Okoebor Emonyonwas born on the 15th of August, 1932 at Afuda in Irrua into a pagan family which became converted after his ordination.His father was from Afuda, while his mother came the royal family of the Iwiololu dynasty. He grew up in Ugiawele, also in Irrua. For his primary school education, he attended Catholic School, Warri where he got his baptism. In his own words: “I was sent to be with my uncle, my mother’s senior brother in Warri, I schooled there. I first of all went to an African school but it didn’t suit my taste so I decided to go to a catholic school where I felt at home. And in no time, I got my baptism there by Bishop Kelly and ever since I remained a Catholic.”

Monsignor’s journey to the priesthood started when he joined the choir. “As a young man and playing around, I became one of the choristers in the school – Catholic school, Warri and I love going to the Church and my uncle with whom I was staying encouraged me even though he was a pagan which surprised me. We used to clean the compound every morning and on Sunday mornings, he would wake me early so that I can finish early and go to the church even though he did not go to the church. I think he helped me a great deal. As a Catholic, I was glad to join the choristers under late Igbuwe, an Asaba man who was my teacher in the school so I got encouraged to continue as a Catholic. The teachers who taught us in school were very dedicated and dynamic and they made us serious with our education.”

After graduation, he went to Lagos where he got employed at May & Baker where he worked for a couple of years before gaining admission to St. Theresa’s Minor Seminary alongside his classmates Archbishop Patrick Ekpu, Archbishop Jattau of Kaduna, Bishop Alonge of Ondo and others. Together they proceeded to the SS Peter and Paul Major Seminary in 1954, then in Benin City. The following year, the Major Seminary was transferred to its present site in Bodija, Ibadan. Thus, his set became the first set to begin the Major Seminary in Bodija. According to him, “we were the ones who cleared the ground and cut down the trees” for the building of the seminary structures.” After finishing their four years philosophy course, they proceeded to the compulsory one year probation and then returned for their theology degree programme. 

According to Monsignor, his parents had no idea that he was going into the seminary till he was just about to be ordained. “When I came to Lagos, my uncle sent me to my mother’s immediate senior brother, Akhigbe Abara and when I told him I wanted to be a priest, he was surprised; he didn’t believe it, since there was no one in my family who was a priest. I remember telling him I had been hearing of my fellow Ishan people who are priests, Fr. Ojezua form Igueben, Msgr. Eramen and others…”

While in the seminary, Monsignor’s motivation to become a priest was further spurred by the exemplary lifestyle of the Irish Missionaries.“I think it was the Irish priests that encouraged me to be a priest. I saw them as generous, kind and helpful to the poor and I think it that was one of the things that spurred me even though my parents did not know. It was after seven years I told them I was going to be a priest, all along I had told them I was going to school just like my other cousins were going to school.”

“My mum got news that her son was going to be priest, he won’t get married and have children. So one day I met her and told her ‘Mummy, would you mind if God decides to take e for himself? You have other children and they are doing fine… If God wants me to come follow him, would you refuse?’ She said, ‘Why? God is God, why would I refuse?’So that day I decided to go in for the priesthood even though my father was completely against it. So I decided to continue till I was ordained.” I think we enjoyed our time in the Seminary. I didn’t feel like withdrawing. We were about 37 who went to the seminary in my own time, I think only 8 of us succeeded.

Monsignor Paul Emonyon was ordained a priest on the 1stof August, 1963 by the Late Bishop Kelly. He worked in various parishes as assistant priest in the then Benin Diocese amongst which include, Ubiaja, Agbor, Asaba etc. As a young priest, Monsignor spoke of being happy and fulfilled even though he faced some challenges. “I enjoyed my priesthood and I was quite happy as a priest right from the very beginning when I was ordained. I found the priesthood challenging, but enjoyable. I don’t think I would have been happier elsewhere.”

“As a matter of fact, when I became a priest, I was assistant in most places I worked in Asaba, Agbor, Ubiaja and other places. I had priests with me who were very kind and loving. There was Bishop Nweazapu who was then teaching in Ubiaja, (St. John Bosco), while I was in the parish and he made me enjoy being a priest so it was alright then.”

Monsignor became a Parish Priest for the first time in Iguobazuwa over the entire region of what we now have as the proposed Iguobazuwa diocese. “I was transferred and sent to be a priest alone in the forest in Ovia; the whole of Oviathen, where we shared a boundary with Ondo. I was alone in Igbogor, Iguobazuwa, and around that area. That was where I discovered it was not easy being a priest because I was there alone, doing everything, as a supervisor of all the catholic schools around. I was in charge of the teachers and in this bush area I was alone. Being a priest, being alone on its own is not easy. Going to the parishes and going say mass here and there and coming back very late. And especially during the Easter season. I had to say masses in about 2 to 3 places at night. Traveling from Igbobazuwa to Usen to Egbetta to Ugbogui, those areas are very far away. I came back disgusted … That was my trying time. But then one priest came to me, Bishop Gbuji, he was a priest then. He was going to Lagos and on his way back from the Bishop’s Conference, he called to my parish where I was inside the bush and he consoled me very well, so I kept on without looking back.”

Working alone in an area that now boasts of over seventeen parishes alongside numerous outstations, Monsignor spoke of his achievements there. “I made impact on the children. I remember one day, some women who were going to the market saw me cutting grass with a cutlass and they were surprised. One of them said: ‘Look at this father who knows more than we do is cutting grass and my children will not agree to go to farm with their father?” That was to me an eye-opener. So I kept on sweeping, cutting grass andcleaning…I built a story building and I think it is still standing. I go to outstations and I come back with not more than 5 shillings then. I don’t think I ever got 10 shillings. I manage that to feed and eat, then, meat was cheap. With just a few pennies you get Bushmeat or Grasscutter. So I was able to manage with that and save some with which I built the story building.”

Upon his transfer from Iguobazuwa, Monsignor Emonyon was sent to the Army where he remained for about 23years before returning to the diocese. He describes his journey to the Army as follows: “One day, Bishop Kelly sent two deacons to me who were ready to be ordained the following Saturday, they were to spend a few days with me for recollection. The following Friday evening, I took the deacons to the bishop’s house and told him, ‘My Lord, these are the young men you sent to stay with me for their recollection.’ Before I finished that, he said to me, “Father Paul, your name has been submitted to the Army.” Then, there was a coup, then, the Izogu Coup and other coups. I was scared at first.”

“When it was time, I was sent to a priest whom I fearedmuch as a young man. When I was in Lagos, we used to serve mass under him as mass servers, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Pedro Martins. At the end of it all, I was glad that I passed through his hands… I loved him and I still see him today as my father, and my role model and everything. I was with him in the Army and when he retired from the army, strange enough, I was made chaplain to take over from him.”

Describing some of his experience in the Army, Monsignor recants: “Brigadier General Danjuma was the chief of Army Staff then and this time I had no quarters, I was staying in Federal Palace Hotel. I went to visit him in his office and that was how he asked me to go there (Msgr. Pedro Martins’ house) as the Chief Chaplain so I went there – 7.2 Apapa… At a point, Very Rev. Msgr. Joseph Oyeku and I were the only two priests in the Catholic Chaplaincy, the whole Armed forces. It was really trying because we had to go round throughout the whole Federation. The challenge I had was to get chaplains into the Catholic Chaplaincy. I started begging Bishops to give us priests because there are many vacancies for them there but nobody. We were only two as against so many of them in Protestant and Muslim chaplaincy. By the time I retired, I had about 8 priests as Catholic Chaplains across the country.

Furthermore Monsignor said he was impressed by the discipline in the army. “The discipline in the army reinforced the discipline I already had as a priest. There is that e’spiritd’call – the unity among the armed forces, among the soldiers, the brotherliness.” 

However, his work in the army was not restricted only to saying masses or spiritual activities. “We took part in everything. In the morning, 6:00am we are all out for exercise, parade. And especially during the war, we go to wherever we are sent in the Battle front. I was under Scorpion, he was then in Calabar front and Pedro Martins sent me to that area because they had no chaplain there. After a few weeks I had only my one military dress, I was soaked because of the rain, so I needed to change and freshen up. So I went to him, “Sir, I am going back to Army Headquarters” and he said “For what? You cannot go. Look man, young man, I have power over life and death, I can shoot and kill you here now! I am the master here! Whatever orders I give, you must obey.” And I said: “Yes Sir,” and I stayed on, until Pedro Martins came with some officers on a peace mission to see how the war was going. He met me there so I told him, “Sir, I wanted to come back, Scorpion refused me to come” So he said “I would talk to him” That was how I managed to come out of Scorpion’s hands after some time in the battle front…. I was once sent to Asaba to go and see how things were going on and I went there and when I came back and I told the officers. I went to Ibuzor and he said “What, how did you go there? Did you go with your body guards” and I said, “Yes, I had my body guards” and they couldn’t believe it because there was tension in Ibuzor during the war.

In the end, Monsignor spent 23years in the army before his retirement and return to the Archdiocese. On his return from the Army after the civil war, he was then appointed the Administrator of the Holy Cross Cathedral. He also worked in St. Maria Goretti, Benin City, St. Benedict, Ubiaja and at St. Francis Catholic Church, Ekewan Road before he finally retired to the Old Priests Home.

Monsignor’s favorite hobbies include travelling; travelling by air, by sea and by land. As to traveling by sea, he says “I have not had that opportunity so much. I think I only went on sea voyage once.”As a young man Monsignor enjoyed playing football, “those days in the seminary, we were the two players who used to play football very well. I even got to the point of accepting to play for the Ibadan team those years”

When Monsignor was asked was his greatest legacy, he said: “Our priests should be ready to accept whatever situation they find themselves in. For instance, at one time, there was this the cry for a Benin Bishop. It is for the priests and everybody to take whatever comes. Whatever the church says, whatever the situation they find themselves in and see it as God’s holy will and not wanting your own will to be done. So be open. Make your suggestions and your plans but leave it to God’s will and the authority in charge.

In the year 2013, Monsignor celebrated his 50th Priestly Ordination anniversary along with his classmate Most. Rev. Patrick, Ebosele Ekpu. Monsignor passed on glory around 7.30pm on the 27th of July, 2018 few days to his 86th birthday.