These gloomy figures, no doubt, reflect the negative impacts of the disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic and crash in oil price on the economy. It took a petition from a non-governmental organisation, Global Society for Anti-Corruption (GSAC) to the state governor, for the collection of the levy to be suspended. However, Governor Nyesom Wike has been striving to provide incentives to cushion the harsh economic effect of the pandemic on residents. The statement read in part: “The COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdowns have resulted in major disruption in economic activities, resulting in negative economic impact, particularly on micro, small medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). We were trying to recover from COVID-19 challenges but the increase in fuel price has added another blow to us.

Source: The Guardian September 12, 2020 03:30 UTC