Seija Sturies In ensuring the credibility of any election and the legitimacy of any government present,'Election Security' alongside other factors are essential. I would want to believe that election insecurity is part of the reasons for high number of election disputes witnessed in Nigeria and beyond. Security of both personnel and electoral materials is very important especially on voting days. Cognisant of these challenges, the INEC in collaboration with our organisation, FES, organised a workshop in 2010 that brought together stakeholders including experts from other countries to discuss ways of containing the identified challenges. One of the outcomes of that was the establishment of the Inter-agency Committee on Election Security(ICCES). The synergy between members of this committee helped in the security of elections in 2011 in many polling booths across the nation. However, as they say, there is always room for improvement. This is the reason why we decided to look at the role of non-state actors and stakeholders such as the NURTW and the youths in political parties and how they can collaborate with other stakeholders in mitigating these challenges. I sincerely would like to appreciate Professor Attahiru Jega and the INEC team for their openness to ideas. This is the first time Professor Jega is missing our activity, we understand the reason for his absence and appreciate all his support. It means a lot to us at FES. I equally would like to commend the efforts of Professor'Lai Olurode our contact person at the INEC; it has been a cordial, hitch-free and fruitful partnership. I thank you Prof for everything and above all your understanding. Our convening would not have been easy without the assistance of the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Ekiti state and his team, xiv Election Security: Stakeholders' Perspectives Alhaji Pai. We are happy working with you for this project. Thank you for hosting us. To our dear participants from, ICCES, the NURTW and the youth wings of political parties in Ekiti and Osun states, a warm welcome to you. I thank you for accepting our invitations. All our arrangements would have been futile without your interests and availability. This shows the importance of the topic to all of us. My welcome address will not be complete without welcoming and thanking our esteemed resource persons, Professor Oni, Professor Muhammad and Mr Jadi Suleiman who despite the short notice and their tight schedules accepted to present papers on the theme. Thank you. I look forward to your presentations. Ladies and gentlemen of the press present, good morning and welcome. I look forward to robust discussions and useful recommendations at the end of the workshop. Ekaaro o. Ekaabo! xv