The Onyendu Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State, High Chief Alloy Obi, has called on the government to adequately equip the fire service to function effectively. In the early hours of Wednesday, a fire gutted a section of the Aleshinloye market in Ibadan, Nigeria. 'It is regrettable that the fire incident occurred in this period of economic hardships. The government should equip the fire service to function optimally; it takes a long time for the fire service to respond to distress calls. The traders should not lose hope but keep on making efforts to make their lives better. I pray that the almighty God will console the traders; some borrowed money, some collected goods on credit, and this happened; it is unfortunate. The government should also assist the traders in bouncing back.'' It was reported that the fire service near the market has not been functional for the past 12 years. On state creation, Chief Obi advised the government to consider the creation of one additional st...