Nicki Minaj Says ‘Faith Is Under Attack’ in UN Speech About Persecution of Nigerian Christians

Rapper Nicki Minaj spoke at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Tuesday to spotlight reports that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria.

The Trinidadian rapper began her five-minute speech by expressing gratitude to President Donald Trump for addressing the issue.

“I would like to thank President Trump for … 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,” the singer said.

“I stand here as a proud New Yorker with a deep sense of gratitude that we live in a country where we can freely and safely worship God regardless of one’s creed, background, or politics.”

Although some experts have argued that violence in Nigeria has increased across the board—not just among practicing Christians—several nongovernmental organizations have been sounding the alarm about the rise in targeted violence faced by the religious group, which makes up about 43 percent of Nigeria’s total population, the Pew Research Center notes.

A report released in August by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law indicates that more than 125,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed since 2009—more than 7,000 of whom were slaughtered in the first seven months of 2025.

On Oct. 31, the U.S. State Department designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” and Trump wrote on Truth Social that Nigerian Christians were facing an “existential threat” at the hands of radical Islamists. The following day, he threatened to take military action and cut off all aid to the West African nation if the Nigerian government failed to intervene.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed back on Trump’s warning in a statement shared to X on Nov. 1.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” Tinubu said.

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”

Minaj, 42, also took to X to respond to Trump’s announcement, writing on Nov. 1 that reading his message made her “feel a deep sense of gratitude.” She added, “Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice.”

During her U.N. speech, the rapper emphasized that people don’t have to share the same religion or beliefs in order to respect one another.

“Music has taken me around the globe. I have seen how people—no matter their language, culture, or religion—come alive when they hear a song that touches their soul. Religious freedom means we all can sing our faith regardless of who we are, where we live, and what we believe,” she said.

“Faith is under attack 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.

“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. And I want to be clear: Protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people—it is about uniting humanity.”