American music superstar Nicki Minaj delivered a compelling address at the United States Mission to the United Nations on Tuesday, demanding urgent international action to address religious violence affecting Christians in Nigeria.
The 42-year-old rapper, invited by United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, spoke at a panel discussion titled “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria” held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Ambassador Waltz, who serves as the 32nd U.S. Representative to the United Nations, extended the invitation after Minaj’s social media posts on X (formerly Twitter) drew widespread attention to the issue. The ambassador praised Minaj as “not only arguably the greatest female recording artist, but also a principled individual who refuses to remain silent in the face of injustice.”
During her four-minute speech, Minaj began by expressing gratitude to former President Donald Trump for prioritizing the matter. “I would like to thank President Trump for prioritizing this issue and his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief,” she stated.
The Trinidadian-born artist emphasized that her stance transcends political divisions. “I want to be clear, protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity,” Minaj declared.
Drawing from her global musical career, Minaj noted how music has shown her the power of unity across cultures and beliefs. “Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live and what we believe. But today, faith is under attack in way too many places,” she said.
She painted a stark picture of the situation: “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart and entire communities live in fear constantly simply because of how they pray.”
Concluding her remarks, Minaj reinforced her commitment to justice. “I want to make it clear once again, this isn’t about taking sides. This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It’s about what I’ve always stood for my entire career and I will continue to stand for that for the rest of my life.”
The address comes weeks after President Trump designated Nigeria as a future addition to the list of Countries of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations. Trump issued a strong warning that the United States would immediately halt all aid and assistance to Nigeria and could consider military intervention if attacks on Christians persist.