Award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj made a political appearance in New York on Tuesday, speaking at an event hosted in the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
She was invited after publicly supporting Donald Trump’s claim that Christians in Nigeria face targeted persecution.
Standing beside U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, Minaj said she wanted to “shine a spotlight on the deadly threats faced by thousands of Christians in Nigeria.”
She argued that no one should be attacked for their faith and described her intervention as part of “standing up in the face of injustice.” She thanked Trump for giving attention to the issue and described Nigeria as “a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions,” noting that many of her fans, the “Barbz” live there.
Her comments are similar to the messages she posted on X, where she expressed gratitude for the invitation and wrote that her influence should be used for a “bigger purpose.” She repeated that she and her fans “will never stand down in the face of injustice.”
Minaj’s involvement followed Trump’s recent warning that he was considering military action in Nigeria and cutting U.S. aid because, in his view, the Nigerian government failed to protect Christian communities.
The Nigerian government quickly rejected these claims, describing them as a “gross misrepresentation of reality.” Officials said that extremist violence in the country targets Muslims, Christians, and people of no faith, stressing that attackers act from ideological and criminal motives rather than religious selection.
Researchers and security analysts have also pushed back, saying available data does not support the idea of a nationwide, organised campaign specifically targeting Christians. They note that many killings are linked to banditry, local disputes, resource conflicts, and jihadist violence that affects people across religious lines. In the north-east, where jihadist groups operate, most victims are Muslims, according to several monitoring organisations.
Just recently, there was a shooting at a church in Kwara State, where two people were killed and several abducted.
Nigeria’s overall security situation remains strained but unchanged: ongoing bandit attacks in the north-west, jihadist activity in the north-east, and local conflicts in the central region continue to endanger communities of all backgrounds. Authorities say they are responding, but residents and analysts report that violence persists and varies by region.
Minaj’s appearance at the UN event is her most prominent political intervention to date, following earlier controversies, including false claims about Covid-19 vaccine effects.
