Contrary to claims by Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State, that he was grilled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for only a few hours over alleged corruption, SaharaReporters learnt that the former governor was grilled for several hours before he was granted bail. The ex-governor was interrogated at the zonal command of the anti-graft agency in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital on Thursday. Fayemi reportedly arrived at the EFCC office at about 9:40 am.
With about one third of the sub-region’s population hosted by the coastal areas, the World Bank in a 2017 reportnoted that 56 per cent of West Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) is generated in the areas.
However, these coastal areas that hold so much economic potential for some of the world’s developing economies are now very much troubled.
Erosion, flooding, ocean surge and pollution are major causes of the dangerous degradation that is causing the sub-region both human and economic woes.
According to the global financial institution, “environmental degradation in the coastal areas of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo cost $3.8 billion, or 5.3% of the four countries’ GDP in 2017.”