Lee Kuan Yew's Open Letter to Nigerian Leaders

By Simon Kolawole.

Dear Nigerian leaders, I want to appreciate your condolence messages to Singaporeans since my death on Sunday, March 22. Having died at the age of 91, I would not say I died young. In fact, life expectancy in Singapore, which I led as prime minister for 31 years, is 80 years for men and 85 for women. You may even say I spent an overtime of 11 years. 

I would say I lived a good life which I devoted to the progress of my country. I can confidently say that everything I did - including that for which I was heavily criticized for being "highhanded" - was for the benefit of my people, not for personal gain. I died a fulfilled man with no regrets whatsoever.

May I briefly tell you the story of Singapore so that you can understand why it is often told with admiration all over the world. We were a small, hopeless Island. We thought we were so poor it was impossible to survive on our own. 

We decided to go into a union with other countries to form Malaysia in 1963. But because of ethnic riots, we were expelled from the union in 1965, and I broke down in tears because I did not see how we were going to survive as a country. It was so bad we had no potable water.

 We relied on other countries for water to drink! We had no natural resources. No oil, no gold, no solid minerals, nothing. All we had were human beings - and ports.

Reference: https://allafrica.com/stories/201503301685.html