The billionaire tweeted on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 that Tesla, his vehicle company, was willing to ship extra approved ventilators to hospitals worldwide at no cost.
"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 tweeted.
In a reply that has now been deleted, the Nigerian ministry said the country would appreciate between 100 to 500 ventilators from Musk.
The tweet was most likely deleted because it has attracted outrage from Nigerians who consider the appeal to be embarrassing for the country, especially in the manner it was presented.
Since it was first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, coronavirus has spread widely across the world with nearly 1 million infections, as of April 2.
The pandemic has overwhelmed many healthcare systems in the world with life-saving equipment well in short supply.
The disease attacks a patient's respiratory system, making ventilators a very necessary resource for many state and federal governments across the world scrambling for them.
Nigeria is believed to be in critical low supply of ventilators, leading to fears that the country might be massively overwhelmed if the coronavirus disease escalates in the country.
Authorities have repeatedly noted that only a handful of its 174 confirmed cases, as of April 1, have presented severe cases, downplaying the lack of enough medical equipment.
The country has recorded 174 cases in 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), leading to a shutdown of social and economic activities.
Nine people have recovered from the coronavirus disease and have been discharged to resume their normal lives. However, the country has recorded two deaths.
The patients, who both died in Abuja, had underlying illnesses that jeopardised their conditions, according to authorities.