testator
Testator is the person who writes a will, deciding while alive and clear headed who gets what after they are gone.
In plain English
There is a particular calm that falls on a family compound the week after burial, when the uncles gather in the front room and someone finally asks the question everyone has been avoiding. Did Papa leave a will? In that moment, whether the answer is yes or no changes everything about what happens next, and it changes who sleeps easy and who does not.
A testator is simply the person who wrote that will. Not the lawyer who typed it, not the children who benefit from it, but the actual owner of the property who sat down, thought it through, and put their wishes on paper while they were alive and of sound mind. If your grandmother in Enugu writes down that the family land goes to her second son and the shop goes to her daughter, she is the testator. The document she signs becomes her will, and once she passes on, that will speaks for her.
This matters more for Nigerians than we like to admit, because so many estates end up in court simply because nobody wrote anything down. A man in Lagos with three properties and two families can save everyone a decade of court dates just by being a clear testator while he still has breath and sense. In the United Kingdom, where inheritance tax rules and probate can be strict, a properly written will from a testator often decides how smoothly a house in Manchester passes to the children left behind.
For the Nigerian abroad sending money home and calmly building a small portfolio, land here, an apartment there, becoming a testator is not morbid, it is simply responsible. You are the only one who knows exactly what you own and exactly who you want to have it.
Being a testator is not about expecting death soon. It is about respecting the people you will leave behind enough to spare them confusion.
Chidinma, a nurse in London, owns a small flat in Ikeja and some savings in two banks. She writes a will naming her sister as the person to inherit the flat. Chidinma is the testator, and because she was clear while alive, her family avoids a bitter dispute later.
Questions people ask
Can anyone become a testator?
Generally yes, once you are an adult of sound mind who owns property or assets. You do not need to be wealthy, you simply need something to pass on and the clarity to write it down properly, often with a lawyer's help.
What happens if someone dies without being a testator, meaning without a will?
Their estate is shared according to the law of the land, which in Nigeria often follows customary or statutory rules depending on the state. This is usually slower, more expensive, and more likely to cause family conflict than if a will existed.
Can a testator change their will later?
Yes, as long as they are still alive and of sound mind, a testator can update or completely replace their will whenever their circumstances change, such as after a marriage, a new child, or acquiring new property.
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