Nicki Minaj is set to step into the center of an unlikely diplomatic moment as she partners with the White House to spotlight claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
The US-based Trinidadian rapper is expected to deliver remarks at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, in an arrangement reportedly brokered by conservative strategist Alex Bruesewitz, a close ally of Donald Trump.
The plan was first revealed by a Time journalist, then publicly confirmed by the US ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz.
He praised Minaj not just as a musical heavyweight but as “a principled individual” using her influence to highlight what he described as grave abuses facing Christians in Nigeria.
Waltz said he would stand with her at the UN as they outline how the administration intends to confront the issue.
Minaj responded with characteristic sweeping conviction, saying she did not take the opportunity lightly.
She credited her fanbase, the Barbz, with a sense of divine purpose and vowed they would “never stand down in the face of injustice.”
Her involvement follows days of online alignment with Trump, who has accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians and has hinted at possible military intervention, claiming the US could act “fast, vicious and sweet.”
He has not acknowledged attacks on Muslims also targeted by extremist groups, including Boko Haram.
Nigeria pushed back sharply, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu describing the US president’s remarks as inflammatory and insisting the country remains committed to religious freedom.
While Christian communities have faced deadly violence, analysts warn that the causes are far more complex than Washington’s rhetoric suggests.
Many conflicts involve overlapping ethnic tensions, competition over land and water, and criminal enterprises that target clergy for ransom.
