Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual after cooking for over 90 hours, surpassing the previous record of 87 hours and 45 minutes set in 2019 by Lata Tondon from India.
As of 3:05 p.m. on Monday, May 15, 2023, Hilda Baci has cooked for 95 hours and 4 minutes since she started this marathon on Thursday, May 11, at exactly 4:00 p.m. when she put on her cooker.
Despite having broken the record of the previous holder, the 27-year-old will keep cooking to extend the record till the 96th hour, setting a new world record as the first human on earth to spend such an amount of time cooking.
Hilda has received continuous support from government officials, celebrities, influencers, and many Nigerians.
“The journey to the cook-a-thon started five years ago. It is one of my biggest aspirations, and I am glad that I took the bold step to embark on this adventure. I have taken time to prepare for this psychologically, and I am proud to finally take on this challenge.”
“The cook-a-thon is also an opportunity to tell some of the positive stories that come from Africa through the meals that we make.”
“This attempt is also proof of the strength young people can exhibit with the right platform and support. I look forward to receiving support from people across the world to achieve this feat,” Baci said on why she embarked on the challenge.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday also commended Hilda Baci for finding her way into the Guinness Book of Records and placing Nigeria in the global spotlight.
Lata London, the previous record owner, gave a shout-out to Hilda Baci on her Instagram page and wished her the best. In her caption, she said, “All the best Hilda. Hope to see you on Official Site of Guinness Book Of World Record Soon !!”
Nigerians also took to social media, tagging the official Guinness World Record to confirm Hilda Baci’s record, and they clarified why they are yet to confirm her long cooking hour record.
In a tweet from their official Twitter handle, they responded, saying, “We’re aware of this amazing record attempt, we need to review all the evidence first before officially confirming a record.”
