Nicki Minaj says Nigerian pastor influenced her advocacy for Christians in Nigeria

American rapper Nicki Minaj has revealed that her Nigerian pastor is one of the personal connections that influenced her decision to speak publicly about violence against Christians in Nigeria.

Minaj made the comments during an X Takeover event at Tesla’s Giga Texas facility in Austin, Texas, where she discussed her connection to Nigeria and called for more public figures to draw attention to attacks on Christian communities.

The rapper also pointed to her large Nigerian fan base, popularly known as Barbz, as another connection to the country.

Nicki Minaj calls on celebrities to speak out

Minaj said reports she had encountered about attacks on Christians in Nigeria had troubled her and prompted her to question why the issue was not receiving greater international attention.

She urged celebrities and social-media influencers to use their platforms to discuss violence affecting Christian communities and said she hoped to do more around the issue herself.

Minaj did not publicly identify her Nigerian pastor by name in the remarks reported from the event.

Her comments continue her previous public interventions on religious violence in Nigeria.

Claims should remain clearly attributed

Violence affecting religious communities in Nigeria is a serious and complex issue involving insurgency, banditry, communal conflict and other forms of insecurity across different parts of the country.

Minaj’s description of Christians being targeted specifically because of their faith represents her stated interpretation of the reports she has seen.

For that reason, BodexNG should attribute phrases such as “persecution of Christians” directly to Minaj rather than presenting every aspect of the broader and contested security debate as independently established fact.

Her latest remarks focused primarily on why she personally became interested in the issue and why she believes more influential people should speak about it.