Calabar — Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Ufot Ekaette, has called on traditional rulers in the country to sanction erring members of their communities as a means of returning sanity to the society.

Ekaette who made the call in Calabar, at a public lecture to mark the first anniversary of the coronation of the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi-Otu V, said there was need to restore the bond that held people together in the communities.

He noted that the level of indiscipline and breakdown of law and order in the Niger Delta region was alarming and posed serious challenges to the traditional institution.

"However, I do acknowledge that the level of indiscipline in our society today, the near breakdown of moral values and the resort to criminal tendencies by many, are in themselves, serious challenges to our traditional institution.

"In the Niger Delta for instance, the breakdown of moral values and lack of respect for constituted authorities culminated in a frightening dimension of crime which triggered the ugly situation in the region.

"It is against this background that I want to urge traditional rulers to use the instrumentality of their offices to sanction erring members of their communities and strengthen the bond that once united our people, kept crimes at bay and promoted community development and cohesion," the minister said.

He congratulated the Obong of Calabar for a successful one year on the throne, pointing out that his reign has "indeed brought stability to the Efik kingdom within this period largely by his preaching peace and uniting the people to speak with one voice".

Ekaette called on traditional rulers in the Niger Delta region and all men of goodwill to key into the post amnesty programme of the Federal Government to actualise the development of the region.

Deputy Governor of Cross River state, Mr. Efiok Cobham, in his address, expressed regret that Efik sons and daughters were no more to be reckoned with in the country unlike in the past.He recalled that the first Inspector General of Police and the first Comptroller-General of Customs, among others, were Efiks while Calabar was the first administrative capital of Nigeria.

He said it was a shame that rather than build on the achievements of the forebears, the youths of the area are now noted for carrying machetes and terrifying residents of Calabar South through gangsterism.

Delivering the inaugural lecture titled "Traditional Rulers - Yesterday, Today and The Future" on behalf of the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY Newspapers, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, former Minister of Health, Dr. Emmanuel Nsan, noted that contemporary and recent Efik monarchs have acquitted themselves creditably in conflict resolution and engendering the unity of the people.

He said the traditional rulers had also taken steps to foster unity and peaceful co-existence with their immediate neighbours, notably the Efuts and the Quas and expressed the need for the process to be sustained and enhanced.

In a welcome address, chairperson of the inaugural anniversary lecture Planning Committee, Chief Minika James, said traditional rulers are recognised today because of their closeness to the grassroots.

She called on them to enshrine peace within their territory by bridging the gap, uniting the people and making a positive difference in the lives of their people.