15/10/2025
Stop using your underage children as your next of kin especially on land documents.
Many Nigerians innocently make this mistake.
You buy a property, and because you “want it for your children,” you write your 5-year-old’s name as your next of kin.
It sounds sentimental… but legally, it’s problematic.
Here’s why:
1. A minor (under 18) cannot legally hold property or execute legal documents in Nigeria.
That means if anything happens to you, your “next of kin” can’t sign, can’t sell, can’t transfer, and can’t even represent themselves in property matters.
2. Your estate could enter probate or dispute because the child can’t act giving room for relatives or third parties to interfere, delay, or hijack what you worked for.
3. Next of kin ≠ automatic beneficiary.
It’s simply your contact person not necessarily the person who inherits the property.
So putting an underage child’s name doesn’t protect your investment; it actually exposes it.
✅ Better Options:
• Use a trusted adult (spouse, sibling, or legal guardian) as next of kin.
• Prepare a simple will or trust stating your children as beneficiaries.
• If possible, create a family trust where your lawyer or trustee manages the asset until your children come of age.
You’re not buying land for sentiment, you’re buying it for security and continuity.
Do it right. Via Savy!
