By Obinna Uballa
Nigeria has expressed strong reservations about being excluded from a United States-hosted event featuring American rapper Nicki Minaj on alleged killings of Nigerians of Christian faith.
The New Diplomat had reported that Minaj issued a passionate call for urgent intervention to save Christians in Nigeria during a United Nations event hosted Tuesday by United States Ambassador Mike Waltz.
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed,” she said. “Churches have been burned, families torn apart, and entire communities now live in constant fear simply because of how they pray.”
The Minaj event, organised in collaboration with the US Permanent Mission to the UN, was held against the backdrop of ongoing allegations by the US that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted. US President Donald Trump had recently designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over these claims.
Meanwhile, Nigeria country’s objection to being excluded from the event was conveyed by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the UN, Syndoph Endoni.
Endoni described Nigeria’s exclusion from the discussion at the UN headquarters in New York as akin to “shaving our head in our absence.”
Endoni rejected the accusations, stressing that Nigeria should have had the opportunity to participate and present its perspective. “It is important to ensure that the country concerned in ongoing allegations of genocide is present, aware, and has a voice in the matter. You should not make important decisions or take action on something that involves a country without their presence or consent,” he said.
He expressed disappointment that only a few countries were invited to the event while Nigeria was shut out. “We asked the US authorities if it was okay to continue to shave someone’s hair in his absence,” Endoni said, underscoring that the Nigerian government was not standing idly by amid attacks by criminal elements.
The envoy emphasised that effective collaboration between Nigeria and the US is critical to addressing insecurity and protecting lives and property. He urged the US to adopt inclusive engagement to prevent unnecessary escalation over claims of persecution.
The US Senior Advisor for African Affairs, Ambassador Patricia Mahoney, had visited Nigeria House in New York on Monday to brief Endoni on the Minaj event. Mahoney explained that three UN member countries were invited, along with other personalities including a Nigerian pastor, but no Nigerian government representative was included, reportedly due to participant concerns for personal safety.
Endoni insisted that Nigeria would continue diplomatic engagement with US counterparts on the issue of killings by extremists and reiterated the country’s commitment to protecting citizens.
