His raised voice is as much a matter of necessity as it is passion. Outside the mud hut it's almost impossible to talk. With ever-increasing passion, Olimini, the secretary for the local council of elders, voices villagers' frustrations with the gas flare and the oil company that put it there. Besides the constant heat and noise, the flare is also responsible for a wide range of health and environmental problems in Akaraolu. Everything from dead streams and empty forests to increased instances of miscarriage and lunacy can be attributed to the flare, says Olimini.
Endless days Visiting reporters are the only people who are impressed by the gas flare.
Residents of the village have long assimilated it into their lives. It has burned night and day nonstop for 30 years. They've gotten used to not sleeping well and not seeing the moon and the stars. They're accustomed to yelling at one another to be heard over its roar. And they've adapted to temperatures 10 to 30 degrees higher than normal.