American rapper Onika Maraj-Petty, popularly known as Nicki Minaj, is set to speak at a United Nations event in New York on Tuesday. She is expected to address alleged jihadist attacks against Christians in Nigeria. Minaj will be joined by U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz, and Alex Bruesewitz, adviser to the former U.S. President Donald Trump, and the organiser of the event.
The development was first made known on Sunday by Time magazine senior political correspondent Eric Cortellessa via his X handle. Ambassador Waltz hailed 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.” He saluted her for deploying her influence to shed light on what he tagged “atrocities against Christians in Nigeria.”
Minaj, responding, said she was honored to have been invited and emphasized that she took the invitation as a serious matter. She vowed never to “stand down in the face of injustice,” adding her global platform had come with a meaningful purpose.
The upcoming event follows former President Trump’s recent claims of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, an assertion his administration earlier amplified by listing Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and urging action by Congress. Minaj has publicly applauded Trump for speaking out. Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria has rejected the allegations outright, insisting insecurity in the country was driven by criminality and not religious persecution. Notwithstanding, some U.S. officials have continued to raise alarm over the situation.
