Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Roberts says Government spent over $869,000 on the Nicki Minaj concert, which launched the “Localise It” initiative on October 30. Roberts said so during a news conference which, he said, was called to clarify the ministry’s role in the event and to “come clearer and cleaner” on the issue. This followed a public call by Diego Martin Central MP Dr Amery Browne for an audit into the show. Roberts gave a breakdown of the ministry’s funding of the show which included: local advertising - $150,000; venue infrastructure - $75,000; local fashion show - $60,000; local culture (moko jumbies etc) - $26,000; COTT fees - $32,383; local artistes fees - $40,000; Hilton Trinidad - $60,343; and, Nicki Minaj (her entourage and agent fees) - $382,000.
He said T&T had benefited tremendously since the staging of the concert to launch “Localise It” as there had been several presentations on US television networks. “So at $869,000, already we have generated benefits far outweighing, by 1,000 per cent, what we have spent,” Roberts added. Responding to questions that after Government expended money for the project it benefited a private individual, Roberts said: “The Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs does not consider, when it is funding or sponsoring or granting funds to individuals, companies, radio advertising or the like, whether or not the individual (or) company will make a profit. We hope that they will.” He said the proposal “had some merit and the ministry saw some benefit in getting aligned with that product, so if the individual makes a profit, well that’s good.
We wouldn’t like them/our citizens to suffer and make losses.”
Roberts said the ministry’s interest was far-reaching. He said other agencies were funded by the ministry and tickets also were bought to enter the events. He admitted, however, that the concert was not a financial success. Roberts called on Browne to “focus on the facts and stop trying to play games” and accused the Opposition MP “of going on a rampage against Minaj.” The minister denied promoter Darryl Braxton was the main beneficiary from the project. He admitted he had “become close to” Braxton over the past two years but insisted the assistance given to Braxton for the concert had nothing to do with their friendship. He added: “So anybody who is playing malicious or mischievous, Darryl Braxton, I know him for two years, I would not say that he is my friend but we respect each other. He loves Trinidad and Tobago and I love Trinidad and Tobago.
“The key issue is he had the contract with Nicki Minaj—a Trinbagonian superstar—the number one Trinbagonian out there worldwide. He had the paper.” He denied a claim by Browne that youth organisations were denied funding from the ministry in recent weeks because of the expenditure on the concert. Roberts said two projects were not funded because the applications were received three and four days before the dates for the events respectively. Later he said the funding was taken from “part of the youth portion” of the ministry. He insisted, however, that there were many different sections for youth initiatives and the money used for the concert could not impact negatively on any other initiative in the ministry.
He said it was “absolutely false” to say otherwise. Browne said on Monday the money was taken from the Youth Development Programme and it would impact negatively on other initiatives under that programme. Yesterday Browne said if the money was in fact taken from that programme “it will cripple any other youth development events for the rest of the fiscal year.” In response to Roberts’ claim money have similarly been allocated to events, such as the Hampton Games, Browne said those events were funded by non-governmental organisations and sporting associations. He said taxpayers’ contribution to those events was “very different to this concert if the ticket receipts went into private pockets.”
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Leader of the Opposition Dr Keith Rowley is joining Opposition MP Dr Amery Browne in calling for an audit of the Nicki Minaj concert, which was held at the Hasley Crawford Stadium on October 30.
Rowley, who is recuperating from minor surgery, made the call in a release yesterday. Rowley said the call was made in the wake of Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Roberts’ announcement of a Government expenditure of close to $900,000 on the concert.
Rowley added while the project was undertaken in partnership with Braxton, Roberts “is yet to account to the people of T&T on the matter of who benefited financially from the proceeds of the concert.” Rowley insisted: “The Prime Minister, the minister and the Government are the ones who must account on matters relating to the expenditure of public funds.” Rowley stressed: “These questions may be answered in or out of the Parliament but what is undeniable is that the taxpayers of T&T deserve to know from where the $900,000 came and in whose pockets the concert proceeds have gone.”
