The Municipal Immigration Commander for Ashaiman, Nii Ofoli Wilson, has advised the public to desist from giving tips to access public services such as obtaining driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and passports.
Mr. Wilson was speaking at a community education forum in Ashaiman, organised by Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) to sensitize and inform residents of channels to report corrupt activities.
He indicated that the practice, which was coined to mean “protocol” on many occasions, did not render the service for which the tipping or bribery was paid.
Mr. Wilson revealed that aside from tips and bribery, people also used their family or social contacts to skip lines or gain quicker and better access to schools and hospitals.
The Immigration Commander associated the bad act with the attitudes of some Ghanaians who willingly gave out money without request when seeking public service, with intentions to strengthen social bonds.
“People should not encourage the practice so that it becomes normalized because everyone has an equal opportunity to be served. But in the minds of some, tipping is something that implies better service, which is very wrong.
“There’s no reason to pay your way through if indeed you’re qualified for any position or service,” he added.
