By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday,15 May, 2023 shares the joy of celebrations with 27-year-old gourmet chef, Hilda Bassey Effiong, aka Hilda Baci, who makes history by breaking the world record of longest hours of cooking and entering into the Guinness Book of Records, and placing Nigeria on the global world map.
Buhari, through a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, showered praises on “the young culinary expert for turning her talent and passion into a career, with a rippling effect on the economy as she runs a restaurant in Lagos, trains other talents on entrepreneurship, and now leads the world in resilience, perseverance, and consistency in cooking.”
The restaurateur began the competition on Thursday, 11 May, 2023 after she turned on her cooker at 4 pm and broke the current world record holder on Monday morning.
If certified by the Guinness World Record, she will be displacing the current world record holder, Lata Tondon, an Indian chef, who achieved a similar feat in 2019 logging 87 hours 45 minutes record uninterrupted cooking.
Baci’s cooking marathon is currently ongoing at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos State. She hit the four-day mark on Monday morning, 15 May, 2023.