Many Nigerians have reacted as the Federal Ministry of Finance on Wednesday openly solicited via Twitter for the distribution of ventilators to the country from Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, an American electric car company, due to the novel Coronavirus outbreak.
Read Also: My Anointing Oil, Holy Water Can Cure COVID-19 – Primate Ayodele
The ministry’s request was sequel to a tweet by Musk asking hospitals who require ventilators to contact him or his company for onward distribution.
The ventilator has become a much sought after medical equipment amid the Coronavirus outbreak worldwide as the machine aids patients who have difficulty in breathing due to the virus.
Read Also: Philippines Ambassador Dies Of COVID-19
In his tweet on Wednesday, Musk said his company has in its custody extra ventilators approved by the US’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He, however, gave conditions that the machine must be used immediately and would only be delivered in region where his company operates.
“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. Please me or @Tesla know,” the entrepreneur’s tweet read.
The Ministry of Finance replied via its official Twitter handle, soliciting assistance for the supply of 100-500 ventilators due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
Read Also: Chelsea’s Hudson-Odoi Tests Negative For COVID-19, Discharged From Hospital
Read Also: No God Is Punishing Us With COVID-19, By Abimbola Adelakun
The ministry, however, apparently deleted the tweet after generating a strong backlash.
In a statement on Thursday, Yunusa Abdullahi, the Special Adviser, Media and Communications, to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, said the tweet was ‘unauthorised’ and had been pulled down.
“An unauthorised post was made on the verified Twitter handle of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning,” he said. “The fact of the post is regrettable because of which it is brought down. “We have made sure our internal processes are strengthened that such doesn’t happen again. The error is highly regrettable.”
Read Also: VIDEO: COVID-19 Patients Thank Lagos Govt, Urge Nigerians To Stay At Home
But that did not stop Nigerians from expressing their views on the matter.
While some Nigerians opined that there was nothing wrong soliciting for assistance, many others questioned the approach employed by the Finance Ministry.
Some argued that there were more tactful ways through which the ministry could have channelled the request, while others said the Ministry of Health or the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) were the more appropriate government bodies to have made such request.
See Nigerians’ response to the Finance Ministry’s tweet below:
FG is begging Elon musk and Tesla for ventilators, but Innoson offered the same government to produce ventilators but they ignored him.
And you're lauding them because of Ukraine's reply. Have we done half of what Ukraine has done so far?
Where are the billions donated??
— Obi Of Onitsha🇨🇦 (@MrObi_) April 2, 2020
They gat money for Toyota Camry 2020 but can't afford to buy Ventilator for #COVID19 this country called 🇳🇬 nigeria is a joke expecialy the Ministry Of Finance
— oluleke akinola spirit (@oluleke_akinola) April 2, 2020
@EmodiMba @The_Seeker76 @kwukenkwu @dedonnse @RBiakpara @von_Bismack see una country for outside😏😏….how much be those cars again, also that NA renovation money again, and how much go into Ruga?
Didn't @innosonvehicles talk about ventilators, why didn't they approach him?
— Dann_essy 20:10:2020 (@Dann_10) April 2, 2020
INTERNATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT, AREN'T THEY ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES.
SOMETIMES ONE BEGINS TO REGRET HER CITIZENSHIP
— Kwukenz_Daniel (@kwukenkwu) April 2, 2020
Hello, @elonmusk
I'd be grateful if I'll be given the opportunity to ensure effective distribution in my country Nigeria, else the ventilators will only be made available to the rich and not to isolation centres and facilities that need it.Thank you
— Doctor Emmanuel (@DoctorEmto) April 2, 2020
1 ventilator is around $10,000 =N3.5m
500 ventilators that the corrupt government is begging Elon Musk for will just be N1.7b. They lied they shared N5bn to their so called poor people just yesterday. Hopeless & heartless Govt.
— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) April 2, 2020
After all this donations, The ministry of finance still insisted on embarrassing Nigerians by begging openly 😤 ahh!
Well, I guess we can't shame the shameless anymore pic.twitter.com/DoYPwpaUym— om3iza (@man_wey_sabi) April 2, 2020
Nigerian Senate reject bills to introduce Electric cars which was sponsored by Ben Bruce, Look at us now Federal Ministry of finance is doing begi begi from the world's largest producers of such cars. I pray he gives us sha.
Even FG well
Lives matter.— Daddy_Fish✨🐋⚙ (@OfficialGeofish) April 2, 2020
There is no point shaming @FinMinNigeria for asking for Ventilators… we can come back after all these Covid-19 is over to insult them but for now, Just tag @elonmusk to the tweet…We are in this Together!#ventilators
— Adeoti Olúwatósin 🀄️ (@Skillz_sneh) April 2, 2020
The Nigerian goverment is openly begging Elon Musk for help. I am so embarrassed.
— Dr. Dípò Awójídé (@OgbeniDipo) April 2, 2020
Okay, so @FinMinNigeria has deleted that tweet. Those of you that were saying it's okay for them to beg, can you explain why they deleted?
Here's my stand (again). It's okay to beg. But we have an ambassador to @elonmusk's country. H should do his fucking job.
— Chxta (@Chxta) April 2, 2020
In the era of the ”Nigerian Prince”419 slander, an official verified handle of a ministry in charge of our national finances is asking on Twitter for ”support”.
No justification is enough for this. This is an image problem. We have also given yahoo boys a brand new 4mat. pic.twitter.com/BSoD8T0lQB
— Osaretin Victor Asemota (@asemota) April 2, 2020
If he donates to Nigeria, only the rich will get access to it. So @elonmusk don’t send one ventilator to Nigeria !
Thanks— iampillar (@andrewokuns) April 2, 2020
The Funny thing is, @FinMinNigeria Ministry of Finance just 'solicited' for ventilators.
— Concerned Nigerian ⚪ (@the_ladanski) April 2, 2020
Dear Elon, Nigeria – the most populous black nation in the world with a population of 200 million citizens is in need of all forms of support @Tesla can render in this trying times. Help us defeat #COVID19 with ventilators and we’d be forever be grateful. 🙏🙏🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬
— Ademuyiwa Adebola (@iam_ademuyiwa) April 2, 2020
Dear @elonmusk , if you wish to help Nigerians, look for a way to come directly and help us. Our leaders are the most shameful in the world and will gladly undo the citizens for fun. We actually need the ventilators but @FinMinNigeria and the entire leadership is terrible!
— Ayebaye Daniel Wanatoi (@wanatoi) April 2, 2020
Dear Elon, we need as many respirators as you can send us in Nigeria, any any other African country that asks. In Nigeria, we currently have 163 active cases, some of who are in critical condition. These numbers are rising daily. Thanks for your philanthropy.
— HENRY 🇳🇬 (@4eyedmonk) April 2, 2020
Were you authorized to tweet this ? There are proper protocols of MDAs asking for assistance. Kindly delete. https://t.co/HUrH5yemAd
— Alkasim Abdulkadir (@alkayy) April 2, 2020
Discussion about this post