The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a 7-day ultimatum to Ethiopian Airlines to pay back the sum of N46 million to Babcock University medical students for an aborted training trip to India.

National Public Relations Officer of NANS, Comrade Adeyemi Azeez while addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja said the N46 million was the ticket fee paid by the University for a trip to India to expose final year medical students.

He said it was unfortunate that the trip could not hold because of some stringent conditions that could not be met within the time frame after payment for the air ticket fee.

Azeez said ultimatum came after several interfaces with the management, parents and students representatives of Babcock University, towards resolving the impasse.

He said an investigation into the issue indicated that the management of Babcock University has come with clean hands and good intents, having successfully organised such trips to India for three consecutive sets of final year students of the university.

He added that after going through all proofs and evidence shown to NANS by the management of the University NANS, with utmost sincerity, could authoritatively say that the management of Babcock had done beyond needful to make the usual India exposure trip a success as usual.

He explained that the sudden amendment in the known requirements for intending medical students visiting India by the India Government, requiring them to get clearance from the India Ministry of Health, and the inability of Babcock University to get such clearance within the time frame led to the cancellation of the trip.

“NANS hereby calls on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and Federal Airport Authority to as a matter of urgency probe the fraudulent conspiracy between Ethiopian Airlines, Sambi Travels and SSY GLOBAL, on their refusal to refund the Babcock students ticket fee, as this has caused more psychological trauma to the students.

“NANS also gives the NCAA AND FAAN 7-days ultimatum to prevail over Ethiopian airlines, to pay back the ticket fee or leave Nigerian Students with no other option than to shut down activities at the federal airport as a whole.

“NANS declares Monday 8th of July, 2019 as a showdown day at the federal Airport,” he said. (Nigerian Tribune)