American rapper Nicki Minaj is scheduled to speak at a United Nations event in New York on Tuesday, where she will highlight concerns over reported jihadist attacks and persecution targeting Christian communities in Nigeria, according to U.S. officials and multiple reports. The appearance, confirmed by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, follows Minaj’s public endorsement of President Donald Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations. Trump has described the situation as a “Christian genocide,” attributing thousands of deaths to radical Islamist groups, with over 7,000 Christians killed in Nigeria in 2025 alone. Waltz, a former national security adviser to Trump, extended the invitation to Minaj earlier this month after she reposted and praised the president’s statements on X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing the importance of religious freedom globally. “Nicki Minaj is not only arguably the greatest female recording artist, but also a principled individual who refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice,” Waltz said in a statement Sunday, adding that he is “grateful she’s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria.”Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, responded to the initial invitation on X, stating she would be “honored” and expressing gratitude for the administration’s focus on the issue: “We live in a country where we can freely worship God. No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.” The event is expected to include discussions with U.S. experts on steps to address the violence, which has reportedly resulted in nearly 125,000 Christian deaths and the destruction of over 19,000 churches since 2009. The Nigerian government has denied claims of targeted religious persecution, attributing the violence in the country’s northern regions to a combination of terrorism, banditry, land disputes, and organized crime rather than faith-based motives. A spokesperson for Nigeria’s foreign ministry previously described Trump’s assertions as “misinformed,” arguing that the country’s roughly even Muslim-Christian population makes systematic persecution by one group against the other “technically impossible.” Minaj, who has longstanding ties to Nigeria through music collaborations and social media engagement with fans there, has not detailed her prepared remarks. The UN event underscores growing U.S. pressure on international bodies to address religious freedom, with Trump threatening potential aid cuts or military action if Nigeria fails to curb the violence.
Rapper Nicki Minaj to Address United Nations on Alleged Persecution of Christians in Nigeria
