Deborah Akinyosoye
American rapper, Onika Maraj-Petty, popularly known as Nicki Minaj, on Tuesday, addressed a United Nations event in New York, where she spoke about reports of alleged genocide attacks targeting Christians in Nigeria.
Her appearance followed an earlier announcement that Minaj would speak at the forum alongside the United States ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz.
In the address aired on the official YouTube channel of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Minaj condemned the repeated assaults on religious communities, saying the violence had reached alarming levels.
“Back in way too many places… 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,” she said.
Minaj stressed that the issue extends beyond Nigeria and requires immediate attention from the global community.
“Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria but also in so many other countries across the world and it demands urgent action,” she said.
The rapper emphasised that calling for the protection of Christians should not be misinterpreted as taking sides, saying, “Protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.
“Nigeria is a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions and lots of beautiful Barbz that I can’t wait to see.”
Speaking about reported attacks on places of worship, she noted, “When one’s church, mosque, or place of worship is destroyed, everyone’s heart should break just a little bit. And the foundation of the United Nations, with its core mandate to ensure peace and security, should shake.”
Minaj went further to praise peace advocates and interfaith leaders present at the event, saying, “I am inspired by their work to build interfaith ties, to see the humanity across the lines which might divide us, and to fight for security and liberty for all those who pray.
“I hope it will encourage deepened solidarity for us to urgently work together to ensure every person can enjoy the right to believe, to worship, and to live in peace… Barbz.”
The UN dialogue comes in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of military intervention against Islamic terrorists in Nigeria if the killing of Christians is not stopped.
This comes after he announced Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” a claim the Nigerian government has rejected.