Having a will is not something that is very common in Nigeria especially because of the fee involved but it would not only save and preserve the dead person’s wish, It can also help in solving a lot of problems that usually arise after the decease.INFORMATION NIGERIA brings to you in this piece 4 things that happen to people who die without a will.
Children, spouses and ex-spouses, and siblings will fight. And fight. And fight.
Death does not always bring out the best in people. Interestingly, the prospect of pending death is often seen as an occasion to mend fences. But once the death actually occurs, all bets are off and the gloves come on.
This is more likely to happen in families where the heirs have different socio-economic statuses. The son who can’t hold a job wants to know why his rich older brother needs yet more money. The rich older brother thinks he should be put in charge of managing the unemployed brother’s share of the estate. And so on. But the decision shouldn’t be theirs; it’s yours.
A will is your way to skirt this squabble. It’s your money and you can give whatever amounts you want to whomever you want. End of story.
Your heirs will fight for a long time, and it will be stupidly expensive.
Because you weren’t specific about your wishes, your heirs are free to continually disagree. Your heirs undoubtedly will have conflicting self-interests. Most people die with considerable assets that aren’t liquid — a house, for instance. While a wealthy inheritor can afford to hold on to the house, his less privileged counterpart wants a fast sale for immediate cash in hand.
Your will is your chance to end the argument before it starts.
When a will is probated, the deceased’s property and assets are inventoried and appraised and then, after debts are paid, the remaining assets are distributed among the chosen heirs. If there is no will, then conflict of interest arises.
Nobody can read your dead mind, which leads to people calling other people “liars.”
Did you promise your niece that you would help her pay for her son’s college education? And only you and she know that and now you are dead. Nobody else in the family knows that you’ve been quietly footing the bill for your granddaughter’s fancy private school. It’s none of their business when you are alive, but it becomes their business when you are dead.
You may not get the kind of funeral you want.
So you wanted a happy party where friends gather and share funny stories about you? No somber memorials for you, right? Well in that case, it’s best to clearly state what you want in both a will and a separate letter that can easily be found upon your death. Because like Prince, sometimes folks can’t find the will all that quickly.
what do you think???
