The Lagos State Office of the Administrator-General and Public Trustee (AG&PT) has trained its counsel and others in different directorates of the Ministry of Justice on the administration and management of estates in and outside the shores of the State.

Speaking at the capacity building and training held at the auditorium of Folarin Coker Staff Clinic Alausa, Ikeja, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Titilayo Shitta-bey commended the agency for setting the pace for others to emulate.

According to her, “The ministry is proud of the entire team of AG&PT for putting together this laudable continuous capacity building on the generality of operations and issues that affect counsel across board. The training, I believe, will not only improve the quality of service delivery by officers but will also provide an opportunity for counsel to better enlighten and educate the public on the importance of writing a will”

In her remarks, The Administrator-General and Public Trustee, Omotola Rotimi, stated that the training is to educate the public, starting with counsel with the ministry, about the functions of the office, as it relates to administration and management of estates, which includes securing a Letter of Administration among others.

She said, “In relation to obtaining Letters of Administration and grant of probate, whether someone dies intestate or testate, there must be something to fall back on. For instance, without the Letter of Administration, beneficiaries cannot do anything. Neither the monies in banks nor any other properties for that matter can be accessed”

“Where a person dies intestate, i.e. (without a will) or where there is dispute amongst the children/family members, the importance of the Letter of Administration cannot be over emphasized. So on our part, the training aims to enlighten counsel on the process and procedure in obtaining Letter of Administration, and on the part of the general public, it intends to educate them on the functions of the office and how to they can access our services” She added.

She further stressed that the processes of securing a Letter of Administration should start 30 days after the demise of the deceased to ensure quick and easy access to the assets of someone who died intestate.

While stating that the training intends to further propagate the THEMES agenda of the present administration because it makes sure that everybody regardless of their economic or social background has access to justice, The Administrator-General and Public Trustee also disclosed that the training is expected to be extended to all MDAs very soon in order to enlighten the Public Service Community towards reducing the number of disputes emanating from inheritance.

On his part, the Director, Office of Public Defender (OPD), Dr. Jide Martins, said the training is commendable and expressed appreciation to the State government for providing the enabling environment to have the capacity training.

He said the training offered counsel the opportunity of having a overview of what is expected of them in terms of advising members of the public on their rights as regards beneficiaries and potential claimants to estates of relatives who died without a will or a will that is invalid because of legal reasons like lack of an administrator.

This is made available by
Public Affairs Officer
AG&PT, Asanbe Oladayo.