will
A will is a legal document saying who gets what when you die, and without one the law decides instead of you.
In plain English
Nigerians avoid this conversation more than almost any other, and the avoidance is expensive for the people left behind.
A will is a legal document setting out who receives what when you die, and who is responsible for carrying it out. Without one, you have died intestate, and the law and custom decide, which may be nothing like what you would have chosen.
The consequences are not abstract. Estates sit frozen for years. Families split. Widows and daughters find their position far weaker than the deceased ever intended. Property is sold cheaply because nobody can agree. And the lawyers are paid throughout.
Writing one is not complicated and it is not expensive. List what you own. Decide who receives it. Name an executor you trust completely. Have it witnessed properly and deposit it where it can be found, because a will nobody can locate is not a will.
Review it after every significant change. Marriage, children, a new property, a death.
The superstition around this is understandable and it costs families dearly. Writing a will has never shortened anybody's life. Not writing one has ruined a great many.
A man dies with three properties and no will. Four years later the family is still in court, one property has been sold to pay legal fees, and his children are no longer speaking. Everything he built is being spent on the argument about who owns it.
Questions people ask
Do I need a lawyer to write a will?
Not strictly, but you should use one. A badly drafted will is contested, and the cost of a lawyer is a fraction of the cost of a family dispute.
Where should I keep it?
With the probate registry, your lawyer, or somewhere your executor definitely knows about. A will nobody can find is the same as no will at all.
What happens if I die without one?
Your estate is distributed according to law and applicable custom, which may be very different from your wishes, and the process is usually slow, public and expensive.
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