CAIRO - Abuse of State-owned land was one of the major issues that raised a furore when the Government of former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif held the reins of power. Wide societal debate was initiated by the stark legal violations that occurred in the sale of land as well as land grabbing and a complete absence of a vision on how to make best use of the extensive desert land in the country. Today after all masks have fallen, it transpires that the former Minister of Agriculture Amin Abaza had sold off at low prices to 250 investors and statesmen plots of land on the Cairo-Ismailia and Cairo-Alexandria desert roads, which were supposed to have been allocated to university graduates. The original purpose, however, of selling this land was to create employment opportunities, especially for young agronomists, and to enhance the reclamation of desert land. A report filed by a team of the Ministry of Justice experts has surveyed thousands of feddans (acres) of land that were handed over illegally to non-deserving beneficiaries. It is expected that Abaza will be put on trial on charges of abusing public funds, which of course covers this case, while some of these businesspeople are hastening today to restore to the State the plots they questionably acquired in order to evade legal investigation. The Agriculture Ministry has a golden opportunity to rectify the situation. This small-acreage project assigned to young graduates could be within the context of a co-operative plan, which would offer financial assistance and target agricultural crops that would help Egypt realise food self-sufficiency. It is hoped that the Government will take decisive and speedy steps to start the wheels turning because the fact is that the Egyptians are now racing against time.
