A Word from the Editor-In-Chief

Happy New Year!!!

It is with gratitude and great joy that I write this message for this issue of the Nigerian Journal of Haematology (NJHaem). It is with great joy, because, I am able to serve you on behalf of the Editorial Board and you are able to read this edition as survivors of COVID-19 pandemic 2020 and its unimaginable socioeconomic consequences.

In this edition, there is a relatively good spread of topics with four original articles, a review article and a case report. The review article is a systematic review of the management of relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma; the original articles are 1) effects of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on haematological variables; 2) effect of hydroxyurea on thrombospondin-1 and soluble l-selectin levels in patients with sickle cell anaemia; 3) impact of possible indicators of disease severity on treatment outcomes in Hodgkin Lymphoma; and 4) effect of COVID-19 pandemic on access to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in Nigeria; and the case report is the diagnosis of haemoglobin SO-Arab in a Nigerian child.
On behalf of the Editorial Board, I sincerely thank all the authors for the effort they have made in getting their manuscripts accepted by a formidable team of expert reviewers at home and abroad. You are all appreciated and it is hoped that you will continue to patronize this Journal going forward.
Congratulations to all members of the Nigeria Society for Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NSHBT) for successfully hosting the 2020 Annual Scientific Conference and AGM, virtually, because of the pandemic. This seems to be the new trend for conferences and large meetings, which may need to be studied.

The year 2020 claimed many lives, whether via COVID-19 infection or not, so it is with a heavy heart that I pay tribute to one of the Forefathers of Haematology in Nigeria, Prof. Etim Moses Essien. He was called home on the 12th November at the age of 85 years. He was a foundation member of the NSHBT and President between 1985 and 1989. Prof. Essien was an academic father, mentor, teacher and friend to many haematologists all over the world. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.
My dear colleagues, teachers, friends and especially the Editorial Board of NJHaem, may 2021 give US and the world a better story to tell as we all try to adjust to the new normal.

Jacta Alea Est 

Norah O Akinola,
FACP Editor-in Chief BSc; MBChB, Dip. Haem, PhD, FMCP, FMCPath
Consultant Physician and Haematologist