For the third time in one week, the U.S. has continued to piled pressure on Nigeria to reverse the ban on Twitter.
The first came via diplomatic channels through its consulate in Nigeria with the EU, UK and Canada on June 5, just a day after the ban on Twitter. Nigeria rebuffed the demand.
Then the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the body responsible for dishing out aid funds to Nigeria and other countries. Nigeria insisted that the ban would have to stay.
Now, the U.S. state department has weighed in. The State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, said in a statement that: “Unduly restricting the ability of Nigerians to report, gather, and disseminate opinions and information has no place in a democracy.
“Freedom of expression and access to information both online and offline are foundational to prosperous and secure democratic societies.”
The State Department is the U.S. government watchdog on other countries with powers to announce sanctions and other punitive measures to countries that fall short of its standard.
Analysts say Nigeria may be risking crippling sanctions for banning the microblogging app.
