By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
American rapper Nicki Minaj is scheduled to speak at a United Nations event in New York on Tuesday, addressing jihadist violence against Christians in Nigeria.
Time senior political correspondent Eric Cortellessa shared the news on X.
Minaj will appear alongside US Ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz, and Alex Bruesewitz, a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump.
Ambassador Waltz lauded Minaj, describing her 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 added, “I’m grateful she’s leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, and I look forward to standing with her as we discuss the steps the President and his administration are taking to end the persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters”.
Minaj, for her part, expressed gratitude for the opportunity, saying she will not “stand down in the face of injustice” and believes her influence has a higher purpose.
She wrote, “Ambassador, I am so grateful to be entrusted with an opportunity of this magnitude. I do not take it for granted. It means more than you know.
“The Barbz & I will never stand down in the face of injustice. We’ve been given our influence by God. There must be a bigger purpose”.
The UN event comes in the wake of former President Trump’s claims of an ongoing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, prompting the country to be designated a “Country of Particular Concern”.
The Nigerian government, however, has rejected allegations of religious violence, attributing insecurity to criminal activities rather than targeted persecution.