Born Paul Okeoghene Emema on 18th March 1965, a native of Oleh in Isoko town of Delta state.
Way before he fine tuned his skills, he studied Mass Communication at the University of Uyo. Paul had created and written all the episodes of BEHIND THE CLOUDS and later SURPLE BLUES produced by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) it marked a huge success as it was a delight to Nigerian television audiences at the time.
He was very passionate about writing seeking for the art to get better recognition and respect , his work was selected by the South African NEW DIRECTIONS INITIATIVE where his script BARBERS WISDOM won a keenly competed pitch, produced by Tajudeen Adepetu and directed by Amaka IGWE on 35mm.
Emema was certainly among the leading lights of writers in the emerging Nollywood at the time.
He was co writer, co producer and co director of over 100 episodes of I NEED TO KNOW a commissioned series on girl child HIV education. In 1999, he was commissioned to direct a biographic feature of the catholic saint TANSI produced by Francis Onwochei, he was later to release a documentary on HAYFORD ALLEY in respect of his mission on church growth and set up.
Paul Okeoghene Emema was at a time commissioned by Shell Petroleum to produce 26 episodes of a sensitization drama series- FRIENDS AT THE GATE . Emema, very intelligent , deep, soft spoken, gentle, yet very resolute with decisions bothering on his creative output. He has done several documentaries for NDDC and DESOPADEC, these are agencies catering for the oil producing states and was simultaneously producing documentaries throughout Uduaghans tenure as Governor in Delta state.
While at his operational office on Mercy Eneli street in Surulere, Paul, CEO of Visual Network Ltd produced several TV commercials prominent among which are Vita Rich Milk COWBELL and ONGA seasoning. Married to Ngozi, a human resource manager at DHL , he is survived by Harold his 11 year old son , several sisters , brothers and over 100 years old father.
Paul Emema was an introvert, with very few friends even among his creative colleagues. He was a poet and published author. One of his plays is titled A PLAGUE OF GADFLIES which he had hoped to put on stage before his final call.
I salute you my friend Paul. You fought cancer vigorously keeping a lot to yourself from 2016 to end of 2017. But you visited me late 2018 and looked really well. How was I to know that was to say goodbye. How does one bid a final goodbye to a dear brother and colleague.
If there exists a script writing competition on the other side, I know you will win laurels there. Goodnight my friend.
