Drinking bars and club houses in Ho were on New Year’s Eve deserted as people stormed churches for watch night services.
Popular drinking bars such as “White House” Club Fidele and Rumours Pub were all empty with only bar attendants and disc jockeys dancing to loud music.
The colourful decorations of those places failed to attract their usual customers, who patronize those places at weekends, especially Fridays and Saturdays.
Abass, 23, a Disc Jockey at Club Fidele told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at 2345 hours that though his place was empty, he was hopeful that it would get busy after 2400 hours when people had returned from church.
At “White House” only a handful of people were spotted playing cards in front of the bar.
The streets were empty and “dry” of human and vehicular traffic.
Churches, as expected, were filled to capacity with some erecting canopies outside to contain others, who could not get space in the church halls.
Church members prayed, sang, and thanked God for the year 2010 and trusted Him for a better 2011.
At the Royal House Chapel, Reverend David Nenyi Ampah-Bennin, Volta Regional Police Commander, urged Christians to work hard to benefit fully from the coming year.
He reminded them that manna days were over and that, “you have to stop waiting for manna and stop working lotto at the office and work hard.
“God is a hard worker, so we as His children must exhibit this quality wherever we find ourselves,” Rev Ampah-Bennin stressed.
Rev Hansen Bosso, Head-Pastor of the Church, urged the congregation to trust in God irrespective of their challenges and that “He will make everything perfect in His time.”
He said though 2011 is an imperfect number, God would perfect all their endeavours if they put their trust in Him.
At the Jubilee Christian Centre, Reverend James Noble Tulasi, Head Pastor of the Church, who led the congregation through prayers for the nation, leaders and Cote d’Ivoire, charged the congregation to manage their time and resources well to enjoy the coming year.
He said that was the only way they could witness maximum increase in their lives.
After 2400 hours the street became quite busy with people moving from one end to the other as few persons settled at the bars.