President Nana Akufo-Addo has charged Ghanaians, especially public sector workers, to stop pilfering items that belong to their institutions.

“There is a petty stealing of paper, envelopes, tea, milk, and other equipment,” Mr Akufo-Addo charged.

The president did not limit the malpractices to these but cautioned workers to stop misusing government vehicles.

He was worried that “employees feel no inclination to protect things that are at the offices and factories and extreme reluctance to stand up for what we know to be right in our work places in general.

President Akufo-Addo was worried that most Ghanaian workers had little regard for punctuality, which ultimately affected productivity. He complained about lateness to work, inefficiency, and the use of work hours for execution of personal objectives which impacts negatively on their organisations and the country.

President Akufo-Addo also charged Ghanaians to change from their attitude of executing jobs poorly which later causes taxpayers’ monies to go waste.

He was not enthused about projects that had been executed with inferior materials in various parts of the country and bemoaned how newly built public infrastructure seemed to deteriorate faster than expected after huge sums had been spent on them.

“How come very old classroom blocks withstand storms and heavy rainfall while the roofs of nearby newly built ones are ripped of regularly?” he wondered.

“How come new roads that are expected to last at least five years do not make through even one rainy season? They fail and potholes appear.”

He was worried that “the workers on the roads, the contractors and the consultants all conspire to deliver the shoddy work that prevents us from getting to where we ought to be”.

Mr Akufo-Addo, who delivered a speech to mark the 2017 May Day celebrations at the Independence Square, expressed disappointment and could not fathom why such individuals embarked on such despicable acts.

He emphasised that such a mindset would not help in nation building and Ghanaians would need to change their attitude if the country is to attain the level of development it seeks.