Preface should not engage in mere lamentations or nurse a sense of despondency, disillusionment and helplessness. We can all act to alter the security architecture to become more election friendly. 'Lai Olurode Abuja, Sept. 2013. xii ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING WELCOME ADDRESS BY MR. THOMAS MATTIG, RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE, FRIEDRICH-EBERT­STIFTUNG NIGERIA ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORKSHOP ON“SECURITY CHALLENGES OF ELECTION MANAGEMENT: MATTERS ARISING FROM 2011 AND ANTICIPATING 2015”, AT TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL, ABUJA, AUGUST 29, 2012. PROTOCOL It is my great pleasure to welcome you to our workshop on “Security Challenges of Election Management: Matters Arising from 2011 and Anticipating 2015”. This is one further step in the two-year old partnership between the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and the Friedrich-Ebert­Stiftung, an independent German non-profit institution committed to the promotion of democracy, peace and social justice. Our partnership has seen workshops on“Ethical Challenges of Election Management”, a visit to Germany by the INEC leadership to interact with their counterparts, the German parliament and government, the public, and anti­corruption watchdog, Transparency International, and the publication of a study on“Voter Apathy in Nigeria”. Almost exactly two years ago, we held our first workshop on security and elections here in Abuja, anticipating the 2011 elections with some sense of hope but also anxiety. The meeting led to the establishment of Inter-Agency Consultative ELECTION SECURITY IN NIGERIA: MATTERS ARISING xiii