By Victoria Ojugbana
Anthonymaria Odukaesieme, a Medical Practitioner, an Environmental and Human health Scientist, as well as Author, has said that character building is a sure way to tackle the cause of poverty, as well as combat corruption, crime and cultism, not only in schools, but in the society at large.
Odukaesieme, who disclosed this to Independent during the C.M.O Bible Quiz organised by Christ The King (C.K.C.) Catholic Church, Agbara, Ogun State, said that 鈥淐haracter building calls for compulsory moral education at all levels of learning as the sure way capable of re-branding the nation in the high moral standing of the people鈥檚 government called democracy.
鈥淐haracter building is the sure way to reset the mind-set of the children and completely eliminate any bad character it propagates, and the way the nation is drifting.鈥
Stating that the鈥漜haracter building scheme for rebranding the nation is for everybody with conscience, more still for those without conscience,鈥 Odukaesieme added: 鈥淐haracter building awakens a dead conscience and shelters it. My aim is to awaken your conscience and bring you into the higher level of existence for the much-desired honesty in human development.鈥
The scientist, who said that 鈥渢he theory and practice of character in the curricle of truth and honesty is character building, the heritage for national branding鈥, added: 鈥淚t is a discipline in human development that will re-brand the nation in the compulsory course to achieve a worthy and noble character.鈥
Affirming that the 鈥淪cheme of character building, as the instrument for re-branding the nation is the permanent solution to the nation鈥檚 collapsed value system, Odukaesieme said: 鈥淎nd very soon, you will be satisfied and honoured by it. You will be favoured, elevated and celebrated by it.
鈥淕od has blessed the nation before and He will bless it again. Your character of truth and honesty must be steadfast to fall within these desired prospects.鈥
According to him, 鈥淩e-branding a nation in the character of its people is like re-branding a product in the character of its contents. To re-brand a nation is to re-build it in the values of morality. Values shape attitude and attitude forms character.
鈥淭he reasoning of man is within his character formation. Character makes a man. A good and honest character is the best and the only form of edifice any one can build that can withstand the test of time.鈥 Odukaesieme said that character builders are the 鈥渕oralists and the saints of God, the best breed of men,鈥 adding: 鈥淭hey can be trusted for leadership capacity, competence and compassion.鈥
He said that the teaching of character building is a great deed to bring children up in the way of the Lord, adding: 鈥淭rain up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 鈥淎nd by so doing, character is being built.鈥
According to him, 鈥淐haracter building in human development is to restore the dignity of man. The failure of man is his failure in character to live and think better.鈥
According to him, 鈥淭he future is doomed without character building to make us know better in order to think better and to re-brand the nation and live better in the moral ethics and principles of the law characterized by honesty, the presence of God in us.
鈥淗onesty is the presence of God at your fingertips to build a character that gives moral education its meaning in re-branding.
鈥淐haracter building is the gateway to re-branding of the nation in the observation of the Constitution and the rule of law, the gateway to every knowledge and the knowledge of God.
鈥淚t is the gateway to every righteousness and virtue, including the virtue of love. Anyone who ignores character building is on his way to the gate of hell. Character building is the heritage for national branding hidden in the treasures of honesty.
鈥淭he most sacred and most deserving character is honesty, the ladder to lasting greatness and befitting future. Honesty is the righteousness that exalts a nation. Honesty is the greatest gift of the Love of God.鈥