Mamora confirmed this while speaking to reporters in Abuja on Monday, during a media briefing on updates on the COVID-19 situation in the country.

“We must be conscious of not being complacent, the price to pay for complacency is huge. I have heard people say that the black man’s gene is resistant and so COVID-19 is not for us,” he said.

“Don’t forget, some black men even from Africa, even from Nigeria have died, unfortunately. We heard the story of one doctor who lived in Italy, a Nigerian, a black man.

“So we should not get carried away. There are a lot of things known about COVID-19 and there are still things unknown. We have to be very careful about believing claims that are yet to be fully validated,” Mamora said.

Dr. Okunuga was a resident in Italy until his death, he was reported to have contracted the disease during a visit to Canada.