1. HIS EXCELLENCY, BLESSED SAMUEL OKECHUKWU EFIDO
THE PLACE OF DISCIPLINE AND CHARACTER IN LIVING AND RELATING WITH FELLOW POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS BY
HIS EXCELLENCY, BLESSED SAMUEL OKECHUKWU EFIDO
THE 6TH EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR, UNN-ODILI POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS. PRESENTED ON THE OCCASION OF THE ORIENTATION PROGRAMME ORGANIZED FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS ADMITTED IN THE 2018/2019 ACADEMIC SESSION IN NSUKKA AND ENUGU CAMPUSES, HELD ON 16TH OCTOBER, 2019 AT MARGARET EKPO CONVOCATION ARENA, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA

2. Greetings: Greetings! Great Super Lions and Lionesses…!
Protocols!
Greetings! Great Super Lions and Lionesses…!
I am overwhelmed with joy to stand here and congratulate you once again for your decision to further your studies in this famous citadel of learning; our great and first indigenous university of Nigeria, where the nation’s potentials do brood in the nest. On this note, may our dreams in this university continue to come true. Once again, on behalf of the SPGS, I welcome you all. Feel at home and enjoy the soft green hills of Nsukka. Briefly, I shall be looking at a topic that says:
‘The place of discipline and character in living and relating with fellow postgraduate students’.

3. Introduction:
Discipline is a concept everyone is aware of, but few truly understand.
Talk about discipline, think of athletics; discipline is the fundamental aspect on which sports have been created.
Note, discipline and character is very much important for students’ life, as it is the learning stage so as to live a better and dignity in the rest of their life.
One’s character goes a long way to define the person; it manifests itself in our daily living and how we relate with one another. Therefore this paper sought to x-ray the place of discipline and character in relating with fellow PG students.

4. CONCEPT OF DISCIPLINE:
Discipline is one of the cornerstones to living a successful and fulfilling life and something we should all strive to master.
The concept of discipline could never be completed without emphasis on self-discipline. Hence, self-discipline is a pattern of behavior where you choose to do what you know you should do, rather than what you want to do.
Most importantly, discipline is nothing but living your life with right rules and regulations, working in time and living well respected life in society, so as to relate well and live in harmony with others.

5. WAYS TO DEVELOP DISCIPLINE NECESSARY FOR ONE TO ATTAIN HIS/HER GOALS AS A POSTGRADUATE STUDENT
Discipline in school life is very important for students both Postgraduates and undergraduates alike. We cannot be well-educated without discipline. Without learning and following discipline in school, life can cost us later in our career. 1. Acknowledge your weaknesses: In all your dealings with your fellow PG students, acknowledge your pitfalls. 2. Establish a clear plan: No one wakes up one day suddenly blessed with self-discipline. Instead, you need a strategy.

6. CONTD: WAYS TO DEVELOP DISCIPLINE NECESSARY FOR ONE TO ATTAIN HIS/HER GOALS AS A POSTGRADUATE STUDENT
3. Remove temptations when necessary: Although we do all we like to believe we have enough willpower to resist even the most alluring enticement, it only takes one moment of weakness to convince ourselves to fall to temptation.
4. Practice tolerating emotional discomfort: Practice allowing yourself to experience uncomfortable emotions like boredom, frustration, sadness, or loneliness and increase your tolerance to the negative emotions that you may experience as you increase your self-discipline.
5. Recover from mistakes effectively: The way you recover from mistakes is what’s most important. The key is to acknowledge your mistakes and move on from them with even more resolve to do better next time.

7. CHARACTER:
Character is a word most men desire to have ascribed to them, and yet the standards of its attainment remain rather vague in our modern age. Character is defined as “your moral self,” the “crown of a moral life,” and referred to as a “moral structure,” something you built through virtuous behavior. Brett & Kate McKay (2018).
It is pertinent to note that your character is the real you. Character is much more than reputation.  Reputation is only what others see and think about us.  Our character is who we really are, even when no one is watching.
Well, a person’s character is shown by how they act, think, and feel in life. Character is not one thing; it is the pattern a person demonstrates by how they interact with others and how they treat themselves. A person with “good character” acts, thinks, and feels in a way that matches some commonly accepted “good” traits, like being honest, respectful, responsible, caring, fair.

8. FOUND WORTHY IN CHARACTER AND IN LEARNING: BUILDING TRUE AND GOOD CHARACTER I
In University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), students both undergraduates and postgraduates are certified having been found worthy in character and in learning.
The question now is how can you tell if someone has good character?
1. Character is the pattern of thoughts, acts, and feelings someone shows over time.
2. Making a mistake doesn’t mean you don’t have good character.
3. When you hear about ‘building good character’, it means that you are facing a challenge and you need to look to your good values, make a good choice, and persevere (work through it even though it's hard).
4. A person with “good character” acts, thinks, and feels in a way that matches some commonly accepted “good” traits, like being honest, respectful, responsible, caring, and fair.

9. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCIPLINE AND CHARACTER IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
The first step in becoming a disciplined person is to make a commitment to yourself that from this day forward you are going to do the things you know you should do, when you should do them. 1. Great and inspiring leader: It enables one to be a great and inspiring leader hence you must constantly display restraint. 2. Stability and structure into a person’s life: Discipline and good character brings stability and structure into a person’s life. It teaches a person to be responsible and respectful. 3. Align your actions and behaviors with your thoughts: Make the genuine effort to align your actions and behaviors with your thoughts.

10. CONTD: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCIPLINE AND CHARACTER IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
4. You will achieve your goals: When you are consistent in doing the things you know you should do, your odds of achieving your goals will be dramatically increased. 5. Builds Self-esteem: Every time you push yourself to do something you know you should do, you are building your self-esteem and it will soar. 6. Promotes integrity: With discipline, People’s respect for you will grow: 7. Positive influence over others: Discipline enables you to influence the lives of others.

11. DISCIPLINE AND CHARACTER IN RELATING AND LIVING WITH FELLOW POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
Yes as we all know, discipline and character enables postgraduate students to relate and live well with their fellow PG students but there are other things it helps to harmonize in our lives.
1. Staying Motivated: When a Postgraduate student is disciplined and upholds worthy character, it helps him/her to stay motivated.
2. Scheduling: We all know good discipline is essential in enabling one to actually complete all of his/ her programme or study assignments.
3. A transferable skill: Discipline and character is also so useful not only for us as PG students, but also in our workplace and in family life. In fact, then we can use it also whenever we need to, and once we have acquired this skill, it all get better.

12. CONTD: DISCIPLINE AND CHARACTER IN RELATING AND LIVING WITH FELLOW POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
4. Relaxation/Relieving stress: When we put efforts to stay disciplined, then it is also easier to stay in control of all our studies and also of our personal lives as well.
5. Good academic achievements: It is common to say that disciplined students actually tend to have good academic achievements, get much better grades, also to get more benefit actually from their classes as well.

13. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE LACKS DISCIPLINE AND GOOD CHARACTER IN RELATING WITH FELLOW POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS
When you consistently neglect to do the things you know you should do, it results to the following: 1. You won’t achieve your goals. I have never met anyone who achieved any worthwhile goal who lacked discipline. 2. You won’t feel good about yourself. No matter how hard you try to justify your actions, you know what’s right and wrong. Lying to yourself only makes it worse. 3. You will lose the respect of those who are dependent upon your actions. 4. It is not surprising that those who lack discipline are somewhat envious of those who seem to be able to exert impressive self-control.

14. CONCLUSION
Having gone through this work, one may conclude by saying, to possess and to exhibit an admirable personal character is a duty incumbent on every one. If you struggle with discipline, I want to challenge you to start doing the little things you know you should do. As you do, recognize yourself for each thing you do. With constant awareness and sustained effort you can actually train yourself to become disciplined and be of good character.

15. Recommendations
The importance of discipline and character in relating and living with one another as postgraduate students could never be emphasized. Therefore, to live in harmony, I hereby recommend the following:
Uphold rules and regulations:
Be a vanguard of interpersonal relationship:
Have a control over your mind:
Odili Hall is a place to stay: …Throughout your stay there, allow others to see God in you through your character.

16. ENJOY THE SOFT GREEN HILLS OF NSUKKA…!
APPRECIATION
Long live University of Nigeria Postgraduate Students!
Long live the School of Postgraduate Studies!
Long live University of Nigeria!!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
ENJOY THE SOFT GREEN HILLS OF NSUKKA…!

17. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AUDIENCE