Greetings from the President

The journey has been long but finally we reach the destination.

The Nigeria Society of Haematology and Blood Transfusion born in Ibadan on August 15, 1972 remains the oldest of ALL Professional Association in Medical Practice in Nigeria. We are four decades and five years old as a professional body affiliated to similar bodies in the field of Haematology and Blood Transfusion in-particular – The International Society of Haematology (ISH) European and African division and the African Society for Blood Transfusion (AFSBT). Traditionally, these societies exist amongst other functions to serve as a medium, by which knowledge is shared, amongst its members and frontier of knowledge is expanded by creating fora for scientific meetings, issuance of news bulletin, encouraging collaborative research, posting of educational materials on its websites and above all to create an avenue for members and non-members to express their research findings in a scholarly publication.

NSHBT has functioned for 45 years and has held its annual scientific meetings for 44 times in its 45 years of existence. Members have showcased their research outcomes in oral and abstract presentations and the society has at its archives proceedings of these conference meetings.

The idea that the Society should float its own journal was mooted about 16 years ago. Funding logistics has been a serious challenge that prevented effective take off of the society's journal.

On behalf of the executive committee of NSHBT, I want to thank Dr. Marcus Inyama for the pressure he brought to bear on the committee to put the issue of our journal on the front burner always. Marcus, we thank you.

I must commend the efforts of all other previous executive committees of the Society particularly the committee headed by Professor Muheez Durosinmi as we found in the records several minutes of meetings deliberating on the desirability of establishing a journal for the Society. On behalf of the executive committee I want to specially appreciate the maiden Editor of our Journal – Professor Norah. O. Akinola for her doggedness, for working with minimal means and got a great deal done within set deadlines. Auntie Norah, the Society is more than grateful to you and your team for this LANDMARK achievement for the Society.

Let me appeal to all our members that now, we have been able to establish a forum for us for peer review scientific communication, we are all stakeholders and we must ensure that we nurture the journal until it hits the world stage so that we can be receiving articles for publication in all subspecialities of Haematology from all over the world. Please publish your science in the Nigeria Journal of Haematology. 

Greetings.
Professor Alani Sulaimon Akanmu
President NSHBT