• Describe social register as scam, conduit for stealing govt money

Nigeria’s poorest of the poor are presently hysteric and apprehensive. Their condition followed the Federal Government announcement of plan to give them palliatives to cushion the biting effects of fuel subsidy removal. The majority of them are angry that their state governments will superintendent over the gesture. Thus, they have stridently told the President Bola Tinubu administration not to stir their ire by allowing state governors to come within touching distance of the money the Federal Government wants to give to the poor under the cash transfer initiative.

The Federal Government decided to embark on the cash transfer programme originally pegged at N8,000 per month, but now awaiting a review, as one of the items in a basket of social initiatives designed to alleviate the suffering of the poor occasioned by the subsidy removal. 

But the government’s good intention to ameliorate the pain and agony of the poorest appears to have run into a brickwall of rejection by the target beneficiaries, whose recent sad and sordid experience with the COVID-19 palliative programme and other similar social interventions of the Federal Government handled by state governments have left sour taste in their mouths as Sunday Sun learnt from poor Nigerians across the country, in this reports. 

BORNO

In Borno State, in Nigeria’s Northeast zone and epicentre of the activities of the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency, residents stoutly rejected the Federal Government’s decision to give state governments mandate to handle cash transfer and food distribution as petrol subsidy removal palliative, saying that such a move could worsen their pains.

“We don’t want the state government to handle it because many of us won’t get it. It will bring problem and many people won’t get anything at the end of the day,” 30-year-old Hussein Idris, who resides in Maiduguri, the state capital, said.

The father of five said that he never wished to go on queue to collect foodstuff as it is often the case with food distribution by the state government.

Also, Bello Mohammed, 21, and an apprentice said that he wished the distribution of fuel subsidy palliative with cash transfer will be done by the Federal Government itself, adding, “I don’t trust the state government. My family didn’t get any COVID-19 palliative through the state because it was done in a selective manner.” 

Similarly, Khali Modu, a resident of Konduga, a restive town located about 35 kilometres to Maiduguri, believes the cash transfer by the state could experience some challenges. He identified political differences, corruption and delay as some of the bottlenecks that could prevent many prospective beneficiaries from getting subsidy palliative through the state.

“There will be a lot of problems just like we experienced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. I didn’t get and most of my relations didn’t get either,” he said.

KOGI

Without equivocation, poor individuals in Kogi State expressed their views on the cash transfer initiative, declaring that state governors should not be involved in the programme. They advised the Federal Government not to allow state governors handle the cash transfer for subsidy palliative, stressing that only members of the governors’ political parties and ethnic groups allied to them or from which they come would benefit from the scheme.

A cross section of the poor and vulnerable people interviewed  said that the governors would turn the scheme into political largesse for just their party members while members of the opposition or those who are not members of any political party would be schemed out.

Recalling the sad experience of previous disbursements of palliatives, a 70-year-old farmer, Pa Sunday Ojo, said that nobody from his community received the COVID-19 palliatives in spite of the wide publicity given to the programme, adding that some government officials and their family members cornered the palliatives.

Also, Sefiat Abdullahi, who is a petty trader in Lokoja said that the Federal Government should send the cash transfer randomly and direct to beneficiaries accounts rather than allowing state governments to handle the process for selecting the really poor who ought to be the beneficiaries.

Sefiat, who said she was a victim of last year’s flood disaster alleged that all the cash and food items donated by public-spirited individuals and corporate organizations to the state government for victims were diverted and nothing was given to the victims.

Her words: “Is it the state government that did not care whether you died or not during the flood disaster that you will give cash to transfer to the poor and vulnerable in the society? In fact, they will use the money to play politics, especially now that the governorship election is few months away.”

However, the state government has allayed the fears of the people. Commissioner of Finance and Budget, Asiru Idris, said that the people should not panic over the disbursement of the fund, assuring that government would be fair to all regardless of political affiliations.

“So far we have a total of 495,558 households captured with 2,065,156 individuals in the state’s social register out the state population of around 4.7 million.

“Mopping exercise into the social register is ongoing across the 21 local governments. It will last three weeks and I can assure you that Kogi State has the best register in Nigeria, “ he said. 

ABIA

Based on past experience, during the Muhammadu Buhari administration, rural people in Abia State want the Federal Government to set up a special body in the state to handle the disbursement of the money.

During the COVID-19 period, they said, they did not get materials donated by members of the Corporate Alliance on COVID (CACOVID), as well as the cash gifts alleged to have been disbursed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.

Stella Eme, a native of Umuhu Ezechi in Bende Local Government Area, said that she was not aware just like many in the village, of such donations, not to talk of receiving them.

“During the COVID-19 period, we were told the state received cash and material donations from some groups and individuals, but we did not receive anything from officials of the government,” she said.

Also, Ibeneme Ukaegbu from Ohiya in Umuahia South Local Government Area of the state, equally spoke along the same line with Eme.

He said that they neither received any cash nor material donations from any government official to cushion the effect of COVID-19.

It was learnt, however, that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government concentrated on giving out the little quantity of palliatives it shared in the urban centres, to the detriment of those living in the rural areas. Even at that, residents of the urban areas said that they did not see much of the palliatives.

Dan, a trader in Umuahia, said that what the government gave at that time as palliative was nothing to write home about.

“Some of the materials they shared at that time were through churches and town unions. You could imagine where a church with over 2,000 members would be given five bags of rice or beans to share among the congregation or a town union with over 100,000 members was given 10 bags of rice.

“You could see that was nothing and nobody was given any cash to buy condiments to cook the little that was given to them,” he said. 

Against this background, the poor who did not benefit said that they don’t want the new programme to be handled under the same process. Instead they want a Federal Government committee set up to handle it so that it would not be politicized.

Incidentally, the state currently has no official statistics or database of the poor. A worker in the Department of Statistics who spoke under condition of anonymity, said that  it was difficult in a state with over 3 million to maintain an accurate record of the poor, especially considering government policies which have been pushing many more people below the poverty line.

ANAMBRA

In Anambra State , some residents of the state who spoke to Sunday Sun dismissed the proposed cash transfer programme as another conduit pipe to siphon public funds. They wondered why the Federal Government was not thinking of really fixing the refineries and investing the money in ventures that would add value to the country’s economy.

National Convener, South East APC Young Progressives Forum, Mr Paschal Candle, expressed reservations on the plan: “I am a bit concerned with the plan to allow states to execute the cash transfer programme. If we were to go by the resolutions I heard at the last National Economic Council meeting, the plan is not actually to allow states to fully execute the cash transfer programme that will be funded by the World Bank loan, but to allow state governments create a new social register for their various states since they questioned the credibility of the National Social Register that has been in place for some years which formed the bedrock of the Conditional Cash Transfer programme of the Buhari administration.

“So, if the new social register by the states can be compiled in collaboration with the Federal Government and World Bank representatives, it will give it more credibility.

“The funds should also not be disbursed by the state governments, but by the Federal Government since it secured the loan from the World Bank. To that extent I can be a bit comfortable with the idea. Otherwise, the state governors will turn it into campaign stuff.

“We all saw how the Willie Obiano-led administration turned that cash transfer programme and school feeding programme into an APGA government initiative. The women leaders in charge of feeding programmes were APGA women leaders. It became a partisan thing.

“On CACOVID palliatives, I didn’t get any of the goods and that was primarily because I did not get information on how to access the palliatives.

“I did not benefit from the Survival Fund Grant and none of my family members got. I even applied through NASME and nobody paid me or granted me any access. I also applied for the Household Loans by Nirsal then and I didn’t get one. 

“I wouldn’t want this new programme to follow this mode because it will not get to the most vulnerable in society, who most times are unaware of these kind of interventions. We need to have a method that identifies areas where the most vulnerable are easily found and go there and enrol them into the scheme.

“This is one of the ways to prevent the programme from being hijacked by politicians who may see it as an avenue to benefit their supporters who may not be really vulnerable in the society,” he said.

Another resident, Marcel Okeke, suggested that the money should be used to fix the country’s refineries, noting that the price of fuel would come down if the country began to refine its own crude oil.

“You borrow money to consume. Who does that? I think the better thing to do with the money is use it to address our infrastructural needs. They may use the money to fix, at least, one of our refineries. That would be better,” he said.

A roadside trader, Ebele, said that she didn’t trust that politicians would not divert the money to themselves. She said that the cash transfer programme of the former administration never got to her even when she belonged to the class of people who were supposed to get it.

“I don’t trust politicians. They are only looking for ways to steal public funds. Have they finished reconstructing all the dilapidated roads in this country? What about collapsed bridges?

“Good roads will aid smooth movement of people and goods from one point to another. It will support economic activities. Here in the Southeast, I have not seen any single rail line. Can’t that money build a rail line which will support the movement of goods and services?” she queried. 

Efforts to speak with the Commissioner for Information in the state, Sir Paul Nwosu, to find out the number of persons captured in the social register of the state proved abortive as he did not pick calls to his phone and never returned the same before this report was filed.

DELTA

For Mrs Rosemary Chukwudumebi Chiogor of Isieke village in Ugbomata community, Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State, the government has been kind to her since the start of implementation of the state’s post-COVID-19 recovery plans.

Chiogor is one of the numerous beneficiaries of the NG-Cares, an initiative of the Federal Government, but driven by the World Bank as part of coordinated plans to reflate businesses following the devastation caused by COVID-19.

NG-Cares is being implemented in Delta State through the Delta Cares programme which has various platforms. Chiogor who benefited under the Labour Intensive Public Workfare (LIPW) unit, received a N15,000 stipend every month for one year.

She told our correspondent that the stipend was deployed to the payment of her children’s school fees, as well as taking care of the home.

“I learnt how to fry groundnut, but there was no money to start the business until LIPW came to help me. I have been able to pay my children’s school fees and taken care of my family,” she said.

Also, Mr Fidelis Onwuka, a small scale entrepreneur, who benefited from a grant of N150,000.00 under the Small, Medium Scale Enterprise of programme, said that he applied for the grant online and was shocked to have his account credited.

Onwuka lauded the process, saying that it was seamless and was not hijacked by politicians.

“When I applied, I did not believe it until I received the alert. So, I would like to suggest that the process should be repeated in making disbursement in the future so that the targeted populace would be reached without unnecessary intermediaries,” he said.

But Vincent Okonji, who runs a much more elaborate enterprise with a number of staff under his employ, did not directly benefit from the grant.

Okonji said that nine members of his staff were paid N30,000.00 each for three months which took care of their salaries for the period.

He admitted that the support helped to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on his business, and urged the authorities to adopt the same measure in future disbursement.

“There was no human interference, if not the politicians would have cornered it for their cronies who might have benefitted elsewhere. We just applied online and submitted all the required documents,” he said

About 1,628 aged individuals who are either chronically ill, urban poor or people with special needs, were selected from the State Social Register (SSR) and received bi-monthly stipends of N20,000 for a minimum of one year.

Another platform is the Livelihood Support which is for widows who earned N5,000 bi-monthly for one year.

Speaking on the development, a staff of the agency who preferred not to be named in print because he was not authorised to speak, said that the programme is targeting at over 50,000 additional beneficiaries which include the poor, vulnerable and economically disadvantaged persons across the state.

Although he could not categorically state the number of persons on the social register, he maintained that there was a social register in the state which the World Bank uses to verify the beneficiaries before reimbursing the state.

“The State Government had positively provided support to 31,058 direct beneficiaries. This figure has been validated and verified by the Independent Verification Agents (IVAs) engaged by the World Bank and Federal Government for this programme,” he disclosed.

He said that the programme is being implemented with existing units/agencies in the state which include Cash Transfer Unit, Labour Intensive Public Workfare Unit, Livelihood Support Unit, Community Driven Development Social Implementation Unit, Fadama Coordination Office and Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency.

KADUNA

Out of a population of more than nine million in 2022, the Kaduna Srate government is targeting to take care of 2.1 million poor and vulnerable people across the state . Governor Uba Sani has signed an Executive Order that will facilitate the process.

However, speaking during the signing of the executive order in his office, Governor Sani explained that the order will facilitate the state government’s efforts to address the exclusion of about 2.1 million poor, underserved and vulnerable citizens in the rural areas from financial services, and to ensure they benefit from the state and Federal Government’s Social Intervention Programmes.

The governor disclosed that a committee comprising government officials, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, and financial technology companies will develop a state financial strategy to drive the social intervention programme.

According to him, about one million poor and unbanked citizens are expected to be included in the financial services sector in the next year, while the state government will consult with key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, religious leaders and local government chairmen to ensure mass sensitisation and involvement of the citizens in the financial inclusion drive.

While lamenting that over 75 per cent of people in the North-West zone were financially excluded and unbanked, the governor lamented that the majority of such people were deprived of the opportunity to benefit from the various social intervention programmes during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari due to lack of financial inclusion.

A community leader, Elder John Fwah, told Sunday Sun: “No Nigerian who experienced what happened in 2020 COVID-19 crisis would pray or want to experience such practice of inhumanity to man again. What happened was more of inhumanity, selfish services and disaster mismanagement. A few individuals and their cronies who were opportune to be in charge helped themselves rather than reach out to those it was meant for. In fact, the ministry in charge totally disappointed millions of Nigerians who were denied what they should get.

“The  #Endsars saga cannot be forgotten in a hurry because the event, though meant to protest police brutality, turned out to expose all the hidden items in various warehouses across the length and breath of this country to the chagrin and disappointment of everybody including the handlers of the whole affair even under and/or in collaboration with the chief executives.

“There is no reason for states to use this opportunity to  subject citizens to the same process where many Nigerians were denied palliatives whereas the operators grew fatter. The  worst aspect is that it was politicised whereby party faithful and loyalists  had better patronage.

“Cash transfer as being bandied about could see millions of Nigerians being denied their share. For instance, what happens to the bankless Nigerians and vulnerable voiceless people who abound in rural communities, not forgetting technicalities of network in addition to bankers careless attitude  to the customers.

“We shouldn’t forget quickly that this is a country where the third tier of government (local government) is not only sidelined, but existing only on paper. In fact, the 774 local  government councils should have been the appropriate arm of government to take charge of such situation that affects the man or woman on the street. “

IMO

Like the rest of Nigerians on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder, the  poor and vulnerable citizens of Imo State suffered serious hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The relief funds disbursed to the state by the Federal Government never got to the people.

Even the  bags of rice, cartons of noodles,  tubers of yams and cash by the state governor, Sen Hope Uzodimma as palliative measures  especially for the rural dwellers had little or no impact as most of the items ended up in the homes of members of the State Executive Council and party officials. 

Mrs Agnes Okere, a widow who lives in Okuku community in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state said that she never got a kobo nor any palliative from either the state or Federal Government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She recalled that even the food items allocated to the community were shared to members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. “I never got a kobo, not to talk  of any food item all that COVID-19 period. Some us survived through the grace of God and the help from our family members who sent us money to buy items because of the lockdown. Even the food items given to our community by Governor Uzodimma was only given to members of the APC.

“So, if the government wants to give us money or any help they should gather the people at the community town hall and share whatever they want to give to us directly.” 

Also, Mr Leonard Akujuo, a resident of Amakaohia-Ubi in Owerri North Council Area, said that he and his family didn’t get any help from the state government during that period. He pointed out that he was not even aware that the government shared any money to anybody. 

Recalling what transpired then, he said: “I am a vulcanizer by profession. You know there was a lockdown at the time and I couldn’t do any work. But I had to manage with the little money that I could get. But I never received any money from the government. I was not even aware that the Federal Government gave money to the people. The only food items I got was from kind individuals who assisted my family.”

Akujuo stressed that if the Federal Government is desirous of helping the people, that they should deal with the people directly in their communities as every one knows who is who in their respective communities,  and not through politicians. 

 Three months ago the state had embarked on what it called “Imo State Social Benefit Number (ISSBN) apparently to build up an authentic social register in the state through which the people could benefit from free medicare and other incentives from the state government.

But, the project has been mired in controversy when the state government demanded that people should register at their respective electoral polling units.

They are also requested to provide the numbers of their Permanent Voters Card, BVN, as well as their NIN. As a result, the majority of the residents who are not members of the ruling All Progressives Congress refused to register.

Therefore, it is not clear the number of persons who had acquired the Imo State Social Benefit Number (ISSBN) while the registration lasted as the state government is yet to release any official figure to that effect .

KEBBI

The Kebbi State government has not rolled out any arrangements for the distribution of palliatives in the state, but sources in the corridors of power revealed that the  government is working on the blueprint to ensure workers and people of the state get better welfare package to cushion the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy. 

The state governor, Dr Nasir Idris, who is also the Chairman of Federal Government Committee on Palliative Distribution, announced that his administration would distribute food items to be received from the Federal Government, free of charge, to the people of the state.

Idris disclosed this when he met a team of Union Bank Plc senior executives led by Alhaji Faruk Gumel at the Government House. 

He explained that based on the recommendations of his committee, the Federal Government had ordered the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Humanitarian Services to start distributing grains and other food items from the National Grain Reserve to state governments.

He said: “The Federal Government asked the state governments to sell the items at a subsidized rate to the people. But we in Kebbi State, we are going to buy it as a government from the Federal Government and distribute  freely to the people.” 

However, in the past, the distribution of palliatives to the poor and less privileged was usually done through the local government chairmen and Ward leaders. During the COVID-19 and, cashless policy periods, the immediate past administration distributed food items to the people at the grassroots through the chairmen of the 21 LGAs and councilors in the 225 electoral wards.

On the modality to be adopted for the distribution, a community leader in Karen, Comrade Usman Muhammed Anache, said that contacts details of poor Nigerians which are all available on National Identification Number (NIN) database should be adopted. 

He noted that the proposed cash transfer should not be passed through the state governments and its agents because the funds would not reach the real poor and vulnerable beneficiaries that should get it. 

However, a resident of  Yauri, Mallam Umar Yauri, advised  that the proposed palliative should be distributed through the religious leaders because they are the ones who know the poor people at the grassroots, who actually need the money. Yauri emphasized on the need not to waste time in distribution of the palliative so that the hardship being experienced would not linger for a long time.

BENUE 

In Benue State, strong reservations about the handling of past palliative programmes have continued to energise the wave of rejection that has greeted the plan to execute the cash transfer programme through the state governments. The target beneficiaries are resolute in their belief that the money would end up in the pockets of politicians and their cronies.

During the COVID-19 period, the majority of residents, especially the poor, had their hopes dashed as some only heard that monies and foodstuff were brought to the state to be distributed to the poor, but they were not given at the end of the day.

“We only heard that items and money were donated by the Federal Government. But how they shared it, who and who received it is still a mystery to us.

“When we heard the news, we went to State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) office, but they told us what was there was for the IDPs. We were at their gate almost everyday, but nothing. So this time, I’m not sure the poor will get anything, except their definition of the poor does not include people like us,” Mr James Akosu, an artisan, said.

Also speaking, Mrs Mwuese Terna, who resides at North Bank area of Makurdi said: “We heard the government brought things for the poor in Benue, but we didn’t know when it was given out or to who. We made efforts to go to the government that time, but we couldn’t.”

A resident of Makurdi who hails from Guma LGA, Mercy Igba, said that she benefitted from the items which were distributed in the state during the COVID-19 period.

She said: “During the COVID-19 period, I got N5,000, and foodstuff like yam flour, beans and a bag of rice and oil. I wasn’t the only one. The day I went to collect, many other people were also there. Also, last December 2022, I received the sum of N20,000.”

Mercy said that she has no issue with whoever handles the programme, but advised that it should be given to people who deserve it and not those ‘who know who knows who’.

“A situation where the palliatives are given to friends and family members of government officials is not good,” she said.

Another resident, Dooyum Philip, said that they want the new programme to be handled in a way that will ensure a transparent process so that the target group will be reached and captured.

“We didn’t know when capturing was done in the past, we don’t know who was given the money and items. Those of us who live in town and are equally poor got nothing. I think the government should find a way to reach out to every Nigerian, we are all suffering instead of handing over the programme to politicians who will give it to their supporters alone,” he said.

An official with the National Social Investment Programme, (NSIP), Benue State office, who didn’t want to be named, confirmed that Benue State has a social register that has identified the poor and vulnerable households which can be used for distributing the palliatives. 

He said that in ranking of the poor and vulnerable households, things like possession and access to phone, television, electricity, among others, are some of the factors used in determining whether a household is actually poor or not.

According to the National Population Commission, Benue’s projected population, as at 2022, stands at 6,141,300. From the social register, out of this number, a total number of 1,661,039 persons in Benue are from poor and vulnerable households.

The State Coordinator, State Operating Coordinating Unit, (SOCU), for National Social Safety Net Programme, (NASSNP), under the Benue State Planning Commission, Mrs Ladi Dennis-Aernyi, said from the social register, there are 417,723 poor and vulnerable households in the state cutting across the 23 LGAs of the state. She said that the figure translates to 1,661,039 individuals.

She noted that the state has been building this register since 2016 and updated it in 2022, adding that when the palliatives are rolled out, the register will be used to access the poor and vulnerable households in the state.

She also acknowledged that with the removal of fuel subsidy and the attendant high cost of living, more people may have dropped into this group.

Head of Cash Transfer Unit, Benue State, Mrs Dorcas Igbahena, who also noted that poor and vulnerable households were identified and enrolled said the register is so authentic that you cannot influence it for anyone outside to be a beneficiary as the formation of the register was done in conjunction with the community members.

 She urged the public to be confident in the state government as the register is reliable and could be used when the palliatives finally come.

EKITI

An elderly woman, Mrs Bosede Salami, who resides in Ago-Aduloju village, along Ijan road, Ado- Ekiti, has not forgotten the experience she had during the COVID-19 period, when as she said, “I didn’t get anything as palliative during COVID-19 period. I wasn’t given any goods or cash gifts.”

She said: “Some people came to our area here, but the people that were in charge of the distribution of the palliatives were so smart because when they came they asked us to come out and line up, that they came to give COVID-19 palliatives. They took photographs with us.  After taking the photos, they gave us some bags that contained foodstuff like rice, salt, spaghetti, maggi, macaroni, garri. The things they gave were small because it only got to few people. I didn’t get anything from it, even those who got something, got as small as two cups of rice. It means if it must get to more people, what will be given to them will be smaller.

“As for the cash gifts, I also didn’t receive cash. Those who shared the money transferred handsome amount of the cash to their families and friends and whatever was left was transferred to vulnerable people randomly.”

On whether the new programme should be handled under the same process, Mrs Salami said: “ I don’t support it because it won’t get to people like me. Only those that are close to them will benefit.”

Mr Romiluyi, who resides in Erinfun village, along Federal Poly road, Ado-Ekiti, told Sunday Sun: “I wasn’t given any palliative, whether money or foodstuff during COVID-19. People said government officials will come to give us palliatives, but they never came till today.

“The money they said they disbursed was politicised. Those who received the money were party people and the people close to government. I won’t say more than that.” 

He said that he doesn’t support that the new programme be handled under the same process, retorting, “for me, it is ‘CAPITAL NO’. The same thing that happened during COVID-19 will repeat itself.”

A resident of Oke-Ila area of Ado-Ekiti, Mr Jeremiah Bankole, said that he did not receive anything as palliative whether in cash or kind during COVID-19 period. 

His words: “During the COVID-19 period, some people came to our area physically to share some foodstuff. They said we should come out, we came out and they took photographs with us together with the foodstuff in the boot of their vehicle.

“The surprising thing was that they didn’t distribute up to five per cent of the stuffs and they tactically left the place, assuring us they were coming back the following day, up till this afternoon, they never showed up again.

“I am just hearing from you now that some people received cash gifts. If it was true, how come nobody said so in this my area. The social register is a scam. It means the cash was given to their own people, I mean government people and party people, because you must know somebody to receive.”

Speaking on the new programme and whether it should be handled under the same process, he said: “ I don’t think handling the new programme under the same process will work, because there won’t be transparency. Is it angel of God that will distribute the money? Because that is when the poorest of the poor will benefit. I will urge the government not to do any cash transfer, but use the money on things that will benefit all Nigerians.”

Sunday Sun learnt from the Special Adviser (Media) to Ekiti State Governor, Mr Yinka Oyebode, that the state maintains a database of the poor. 

“The state has a social register which contains a total of 186,183 households (706,553 individuals) as at date. However, this is usually reviewed periodically. The state’s population by projection is 4,035,161 as at 2023.” (Sunday Sun)