Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey popularly known as Hilda Baci, Monday, officially surpassed the current Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual after cooking for more than 88 hours.
The record was set by Lata Tondon from India in 2019. She will keep cooking till 4 pm today to reach 96 hours.
The chef hit 88-hour cooking time with less than seven hours to finish the Cook-a-thon which started around 4:00 p.m. on Thursday in Amore Gardens, Lekki Lagos.
Also read: Tinubu, Osibanjo, Atiku, Akpabio hail chef Hilda Baci
The Akwa Ibom-born hit the record hours at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, with eyes on setting a new record for 90 hours by 10:00 a.m.
The 27-year-old chef finally achieved her five-year-long dream of embarking on the longest cooking run by an individual.
Meanwhile, Ms Bassey has received several congratulatory messages from chefs, celebrities, politicians and well-meaning Nigerians.
Peter Obi, Akwa Ibom government root for Baci
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi has joined most Nigerians to root for Chef Hilda who is on a quest to break the Guinness World record. Hilda is going for the longest cooking marathon by an individual as she plans to beat the current record of 87 hours, 45 minutes.
The former governor of Anambra State described the efforts made by Hilda Effiong to beat the current Guinness World Record for cooking for 4 days non stop as the true Nigerian spirit of handwork and resilience.
According to his tweets, “The efforts being made by Hilda Effiong Bassey (Hilda Baci) to beat the current Guinness World Record for cooking for 4 days nonstop shows the true Nigerian spirit of hard work and resilience.
”I applaud her determination and focus on the goal, which is inspiring many Nigerian youths to live their dreams through hard work and dedication. I wish her well on this noble journey to pen her name in the golden book of history. -PO”
Akwa Ibom State Government has joined in rooting for Baci, saying it ”has been watching with delight the Guinness World Record attempt by our daughter, Hilda Bassey Effiong (Hilda Baci) who is seeking to gain an entry into the Guinness book of World records through her “Cook-a-thon.”
A press release signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, on Sunday evening, said ‘‘From our observation, she is on track to achieve this noble dream and this has brought humongous positive mention not just to her and our country, but also to our state, by directly promoting our famed cuisines.’’
The release entitled: The Guinness Record Attempt: A Dakkada Exemplar, Ememobong noted ‘‘By her attempt, she has placed our delicacies on the international culinary map- a great pride to our state and heritage. To this end, HE the Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel sends his goodwill and has directed the Honourable Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Orman Esin, to immediately visit and personally convey his goodwill and the support of the entire state to the star girl.
‘‘Irrespective of the outcome of this attempt, the Governor is, indeed, very proud of the Dakkada spirit that has enabled this historic move, which justifies our maxim that, once the passion is right, nothing is impossible.
‘‘A reception and congratulatory event awaits her,’’ he added.
Ms Bassey officially announced this in an Instagram post on April 2, where she said she would make her five-year-long dream a reality, stating that she would cook for four days and four nights to break the 87 hours, 45 minutes set in 2019.
