Adenrele Babatunde

Amin ni oruko Jesu.

Toluwani’s death did more than take a life. It revealed, once again, how quickly the people around a man can change the moment he is no longer there to stand between what he built and those who suddenly want a piece of it. Assets that took years of sleepless nights, calculated risks, and quiet discipline can be frozen, fought over, or quietly redirected while the very people he worked to protect are left exposed. Many men refuse to face a hard truth while they are still alive. If you marry a woman who proves destructive, you should leave. But if you are married to a good woman and God has given you children, then protecting them...even when you can no longer speak...must become one of your highest responsibilities. The family you created should not be punished for old mistakes or for the greed that often appears the moment a man is gone. What is the real purpose of all that effort if the day you stop breathing, your children and the woman who stood with you are thrown into court battles, delays, and the sudden arrival of relatives who were nowhere to be found when the bills needed paying? Should the wife who built alongside you be left to suffer simply because you never put structures in place to shield her when you are no longer there? Once you are gone, the vampires appear. Some come wearing the face of the state...with taxes, claims, and endless processes. Do you know that in some places, some people lose about 35% of the value of their wealth to the state upon their death? Yeah, so before you buy and build assets in some places, you should check their laws and find a way to protect your assets ...for your loved ones. It's important you know that some of these vampires are family members who suddenly remember how close you once were. And sometimes, painfully, the person who shared your bed begins to see your absence as an opportunity rather than a loss. None of this is rare. It is what happens when a man builds something of value and leaves no clear instructions for how it should be handled. That is why structures matter more than good intentions. A trust can hold your assets and direct them exactly as you intended....for the people you chose, for as long as you decide. A will gives your wishes legal weight so they are not left open to interpretation or argument. In fact, it is not uncommon for men to include clauses that limit a widow’s control over certain estates if she remarries. This is not done out of spite. It is done so the children are not left with nothing if she later marries someone who takes what was meant for them and leaves them exposed. And if you never signed a prenuptial agreement, a post-nuptial agreement can still clearly define what belongs to you, what belongs to your spouse, and what is reserved for your children. Should the person you married one day begin to see your wealth as something to claim rather than something to protect. These instruments are not signs of distrust. They are acts of responsibility. They are the difference between a legacy that continues to serve the people you love and a collection of assets that becomes fuel for conflict the moment you can no longer speak for yourself. I am Eri’Oluwa, I am Learning things. Jesus love you.