FROM time immemorial, protracted struggle for inheritance of the estate of parents or relatives after the demise of their owners has remained a devastating cause of family disharmony and fragmentation.
This rancour that sharing of the properties generates and its unpleasant consequence has the capacity of tearing apart family unity, as well as precipitating avoidable litigations among others that maylinger on for generations if not properly managed.
Sad as it sounds, it is no news that many family members today, more often than not find themselves entangled in the vortex of deadly physical struggle and even killing or maiming of one another over distribution or sharing of family properties, especially where no will was left behind for the purpose of distributing such estate.
Many are today also entangled in near endless legal battles invarious courts of law fighting for inheritance of properties with some losing their lives or being maimed, in the process. This worrisome narrative could ordinarily have been avoided if people always put their family and estate in order by drawing up wills which will even at death, reflect the wishes of the owner of the estate, with regard to the sharing of his properties to his successors.
Definitely worried by this ugly narrative, the Delta state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, EkemejiroOwhovoriole (SAN) admonished Nigerians to embrace the culture of making wills as this will go a long way in warding off the lethal acrimony and the consequences of bitter struggle for the estate of persons who die intestate.
The learned Silk who blamed the neglect, failure or refusal of many families to embrace will-making on ignorance, superstition and unfounded belief in some quarters that will-making is an invitation to death, called on citizens to banish such baseless thoughts.
We commend the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice for beaming searchlight on this very important issue which many citizens, including the educated have ignored to the detriment of family and, indeed, societal harmony, integrity, mutual trust and development.
We totally agree with the Delta state’s Chief Law Officer that making a will has no nexus with invitation to death but on the contrary, has the capacity of ensuring family unity, societal growth and respect for the wishes of the departed benefactor by complying with the dictates of the will.
We must emphasize that will is not a purveyor of death and can indeed be amended or totally replaced by the testator while still alive. Essentially, wills are made to outline the wishes of the testator regarding the bequeathals about his estate which will eventually guide the trustees and executors of the will in distributing the legacies of the testator.
This is a very civilized and legal mode of preventing meddlesome interlopers, greedy and mischievous elements from illegally appropriating to themselves the estate of the testator, especially in parts of our country where relations rather than the spouse and children of a deceased, are by custom considered entitled to inheritance of the property left behind.
Similarly, there are several communities where gender discrimination persists to the effect that it is culturally a taboo for a daughter to inherit the father’s property.
While we condemn such expropriating customs and cultural practices as they remain repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience, living behind a will, will ab- initio demolish such obnoxious, crude and barbaric practices of disinheritance to legitimate spouse and offspring of the testator.
We call on all well-meaning citizens, civil society organisations, the mass media, community and religious leaders to join in the campaign for citizens to embrace the virtue of will-making to ensure family and, indeed, societal harmony.
We believe that the human society would benefit tremendously from a will-making, conscious citizenry rather than one subsumed in palpable denial and castigation of the concept.
A harmonious family is a precursor to a progressive and peacefulsociety. It is not late to change the narrative and embrace willmaking as part of life. A wise man puts his house in order and one way of doing this is by making a will.
