University of Manchester

By Muhammad Sulaiman

Pep Guardiola, the renowned Manchester City manager, delivered a moving and heartfelt speech on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester this week.

In an emotional address, Guardiola veered from the usual ceremonial tone to speak about the suffering in Gaza, calling for compassion and courage in the face of ongoing violence. 

“It is so painful what we see in Gaza, it hurts all my body,” he said, his voice weighted with emotion. “It is not about ideology but the love of life. It is about refusing to be silent or still when it matters the most.”

Guardiola, known as much for his principled stances as for his tactical brilliance on the pitch, received a standing ovation from many in the audience, including faculty, students, and dignitaries.

The University of Manchester awarded Guardiola the honorary degree in recognition of his contributions to sport and his influence as a global figure. Yet, it was his candid acknowledgement of human suffering and his call for empathy that left a lasting impression.

Social media erupted in praise following the speech, with many highlighting Guardiola’s words as a rare and courageous gesture from a figure in elite sport.

As tensions and humanitarian concerns continue to mount in Gaza, Guardiola’s remarks have added a prominent voice to the growing international calls for peace and justice.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A Nigerian lady, Halima Ali Shuwa, has been recognised by the reputable University of Manchester and awarded with Student of the Year Award.

Ruth Macarthy, a doctoral researcher at Salford University, announced this on LinkedIn on Wednesday. 

“Sitting in Whitworth Hall today, at the prestigious University of Manchester, was one of my proudest moments as a Nigerian. It was the moment Halima Ali Shuwa was called up [to] the podium to receive the “Student of the Year” award from the President of the university.” Ms Macarthy wrote.

While presenting the award, the President of the university stated that Halima was chosen because of her dedication and selfless commitment to research excellence.

The President added that Halima dedicated a huge amount of time to researching the immune response in the blood of hospitalised COVID-19 patients – and predicting which patients will further develop long-term covid complications.

She was the first to publish on the associated long-term changes with fatigue and breathlessness in patients who would subsequently develop long covid.

Halima, a recipient of the prestigious Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) scholarship, hails from Shuwa town of Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State. She was born, brought up and schooled in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Halima studied Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Maiduguri, MSc Immunology at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and then got a PTDF scholarship to the University of Manchester, where she did her PhD in Immunology. 

Halima has published seven papers in high-impact journals during her studies and has four more papers under review. 

Towards the end of her PhD, Halima managed to secure multiple job offers from the University of Manchester and several pharmaceutical companies. Finally, she accepted the job offer from GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), where she’ll continue her cutting-edge research to discover an alternative cancer treatment targeting B cells in Immuno-Oncology settings.