Writers 
THE LAW WILL WRITE YOUR “WILL”
Your wealth is the product of your lifetime of hard work. Don't let your failure to plan become the beginning of your family's problems.
Imagine spending thirty years building a business, acquiring properties, purchasing land, investing your savings and sacrificing your comfort to give your family a better life. You work tirelessly, believing that everything you have accumulated will someday provide security for your children and loved ones.
Then, one day, the unexpected happens. You are no longer there.
Suddenly, the family you worked so hard to protect is thrown into confusion. Your children disagree over your properties. Your spouse struggles to establish their rights. Relatives who never contributed to your success begin making claims to your assets. Your business suffers because nobody knows who should take charge.
What should have been a legacy of love becomes a battlefield of competing interests.
And all of this may happen because you failed to make one important decision while you were alive: writing your will.
1. WHEN YOU FAIL TO MAKE A WILL, YOU SURRENDER CONTROL OVER YOUR ESTATE
Many people believe that their properties will automatically pass to the people they love when they die. Unfortunately, love, good intentions and verbal promises do not necessarily determine how an estate will be distributed.
When a person dies without a valid will, the person is said to have died intestate.
In Nigeria, the distribution of an intestate estate is governed by the applicable succession laws, which may include statutory, customary or Islamic law, depending on the deceased's circumstances.
This means that the people you intended to benefit may not necessarily receive your assets in the proportions you would have preferred.
The house you intended for your wife, the business you wanted your eldest daughter to manage, or the savings you hoped would finance your youngest child's education may become subjects of legal proceedings and family disagreements.
The law does not automatically know your intentions. It operates according to established legal rules.
If you want your wishes to be respected after your death, you must take appropriate legal steps to express them while you are alive.
2. YOUR FAILURE TO PLAN MAY BECOME YOUR FAMILY'S BURDEN
Death is painful enough. The loss of a husband, wife, father, mother or other loved one can leave a family emotionally devastated.
Imagine adding years of litigation, financial uncertainty and family hostility to that grief.
Unfortunately, disputes over inheritance have destroyed relationships that took generations to build.
Brothers have become enemies. Sisters have stopped speaking to one another. Widows have faced attempts to dispossess them of their matrimonial homes. Children have watched relatives fight over properties while their educational and financial needs remain unattended.
Some of these disputes arise because the deceased failed to leave clear instructions concerning their estate.
A properly prepared will cannot guarantee that disputes will never occur, but it can significantly reduce uncertainty by documenting your intentions and identifying the people responsible for administering your estate.
Do not leave your loved ones with unanswered questions when you have the opportunity to provide clarity today.
3. A WILL IS NOT ONLY FOR THE RICH OR THE ELDERLY
One of the greatest misconceptions about estate planning is that writing a will is something reserved for millionaires, wealthy business owners or people approaching old age.
This belief has prevented many individuals from taking necessary steps to protect their families.
You do not need to own an estate worth billions of naira before making a will.
If you own a house, a parcel of land, a vehicle, business interests, investments, savings or other valuable assets, you have something worth planning for.
Even a modest estate can become the subject of serious family disagreements.
Similarly, youth is not a guarantee of longevity. Death does not always give advance notice, and tomorrow is never promised.
Writing a will is not an invitation to death. It is an act of responsibility, foresight and
consideration for those who may survive you.
4. A WILL IS AN ACT OF LOVE, NOT A SIGN OF DISTRUST
Some people refuse to write a will because they fear that discussing inheritance will create suspicion among their family members.
Others believe that making a will suggests they are expecting death or do not trust their spouses and children.
However, proper estate planning is not about predicting death. It is about preparing for life's uncertainties.
A will gives you an opportunity to make thoughtful provisions for your spouse, children, dependants and other people who matter to you.
It can also help you provide for a child with special needs, support a charitable cause or preserve an important family legacy.
The greatest gift you can leave behind is not necessarily the wealth you accumulated, but the care and consideration with which you planned its transfer.
5. YOUR VERBAL PROMISES MAY NOT BE ENOUGH
How often have we heard parents say, "This house belongs to my first son," or "That land is for my daughter"?
Such statements may express genuine intentions, but they do not necessarily constitute legally enforceable testamentary dispositions.
Under the statutory rules applicable to most written wills in Nigeria, specific formalities must be observed, including signing and proper witnessing. Different provisions may apply under relevant customary or Islamic law.
A conversation at the dinner table is no substitute for a properly prepared estate plan.
If you have made promises concerning your properties, take the necessary legal steps to document them.
6. WRITING A WILL IS ONLY THE BEGINNING
A will should not be treated as a document that you prepare once and forget forever.
Your circumstances may change. You may acquire additional properties, sell existing assets, get married, have more children or experience other significant changes in your family.
Review your will periodically to ensure that it continues to reflect your wishes and complies with applicable legal requirements.
Choose trustworthy and capable executors who can administer your estate responsibly. Ensure your original will is securely stored and can be located when necessary.
In Nigeria, executors ordinarily obtain probate to establish their authority, while the administration of an intestate estate generally involves obtaining letters of administration, subject to the applicable legal framework.
Remember that a will cannot necessarily override every inheritance right or dispose of property you do not legally own. Professional legal guidance is therefore essential.
7. THE LEGACY YOU LEAVE SHOULD NOT BECOME THE REASON YOUR FAMILY FALLS APART
You cannot control every event that will occur after your death. You cannot guarantee that your beneficiaries will always agree or that every decision concerning your estate will be free from disagreement.
However, you can reduce avoidable uncertainty.
You can document your intentions, identify the people you wish to benefit and appoint responsible individuals to carry out your lawful instructions.
Why spend your lifetime building wealth without making adequate arrangements for its preservation and transfer?
Why leave your family to guess your intentions when you can express them clearly?
Why wait until illness or old age makes important decisions more difficult?
Your signature today may prevent uncertainty tomorrow. Your foresight today may protect the people you love when they need that protection most.
Do not wait until tomorrow to make a decision that can be made today. Consult a qualified legal practitioner, understand the succession laws applicable to your circumstances and prepare a valid will.
Build your wealth with diligence. Protect it with wisdom. Transfer it with intention.
Because if you don't make your will, the applicable law will determine how your estate is distributed and its provisions may be very different from what you would have wanted.
BE WISE! BE GUIDED!