Finance ministry begs South African billionaire, Elon Musk, for ventilators on Twitter

Elon-Musk

The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has requested for ventilators from South African billionaire, Elon Musk.

Mr Musk, who is also a citizen of the US and Canada, had on Tuesday said his company, Tesla, would distribute ventilators to hospitals worldwide within the company’s delivery regions.

“We have extra FDA-approved ventilators. Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device & shipping cost are free. Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse,” he wrote on Twitter.

The ministry late Wednesday then tweeted in response, saying Nigeria needs about 100 to 500 ventilators to help with the fight against the coronavirus.

“Dear @elonmusk @Tesla Federal Government of Nigeria needs support with 100-500 ventilators to assist with #Covid19 cases arising every day in Nigeria,” it said.

Nigeria currently has 174 cases of the deadly disease. The number is expected to rise in the coming days.