The way we Nigerians 'help' people is actually a whole court case waiting to happen

See ehn, I was in my chambers yesterday going through a file when a young lady walks in. She say her uncle collected her father's land documents for 'safe keeping' 15 years ago. Now the uncle is claiming the land is his. She say 'but he is my father's brother, how can he do this?' I just look at her and laugh small.

Na so we dey do for this country. You give your car key to your friend to park, he drives to Benin. You hand over your property documents to your cousin for 'safekeeping', he sells the land and builds a house. You transfer money through your sister's account because your business account has issues, she says the money is now a gift. The Nigerian 'help me help me' syndrome is the biggest source of litigation in this country.

The law says if you give someone your property and there is no written agreement, the court will look at the conduct of both parties. And conduct in Nigeria is very expensive to prove. So my advice is simple: if you love your brother, put it in writing. Love is good, but a stamped agreement is better. Your uncle will still be your uncle, but now he knows the court is watching.