Kings Shall Come to Your Rising

The Story of Hilda Baci

Introduction

I admire women who are beautiful, talented, and have an unwavering dedication to their craft. They remind me of the extraordinary potential within every individual.

Take a look at one of these women…

Her name is Hilda Bassey Effiong and I'm about to share how she united Nigeria for 4 days through her remarkable achievement.

Backstory

I can't remember the year but it was during one of the long vacations in primary school that my parents registered me for summer lessons in a school close to home.

One of the highlights of that period was when the school officials gathered everyone in the morning to watch a 30-minute to 1-hour video before lessons began.

These videos ranged from Maths lessons to English pronunciation lessons to current affairs and many more.

However, one particular video stood out for me. I remember paying attention when the school official slot in a DVD into the player and the display on the television screen read “Guinness World Records”.

That was the first time I came across the GWR and I was amazed to watch humans hold world records for extraordinary accomplishments.

Some world records I remember watching back then were the man with the longest nails, the woman with the thinnest waist, and the tallest man in the world.

I also remember my mum buying me the Guinness Book of World Records 1997 after watching that video and reading about more outstanding individuals.

These experiences birthed my interest in the world records, but I was not the only one.

The Dream

There's a 99% chance that before you stumbled on this read, you must have heard the name Hilda Baci.

Anyways, don't let any know-it-all tendency stop you from appreciating this story because it is not another “10 lessons you can learn from Hilda Baci”.

Hilda and I have one thing in common: our obsession with the Guinness World Records.

I was excited by perusing the pages filled with countless records. To Hilda, it was something different. What mattered most to her was getting her name on the pages of the book. She wanted to be a world record holder.

Hilda is a Chef. From my research, she's no ordinary chef. I am also convinced that culinary skills runs in the blood considering that her mum is also a renowned chef and owner of Calabar Pot.

With her skill, she took a look at the Guinness World Records once again and decided to claim the record of the “longest cooking marathon by an individual”. A record previously held by the Indian chef, Lana Tondon.

This time, it was no longer an obsession over the records, it was a vision that needed a plan to make it happen.

The Journey

After applying to break the record in 2018, her application was rejected. Guinness suggested that she wait for a couple of years before applying again as the record was just recently broken at that time.

This didn’t stop Hilda. With her eyes fixed on the vision, she focused on other things in preparation for it.

At that time, she was working a 9 - 5 at a fashion retail company and didn’t even have the resources required to pull off the challenge. Then she started to dabble in acting, presenting cooking TV shows and a talent show - MTN Yellow Star 2020. She also became serious about her cooking career.

She launched her own restaurant, My Food by Hilda, in 2021. Around that time, she was selected to represent Nigeria at the Jollof Face-Off competition which she won and walked away with $5000.

Hilda wins $5000 at the Jollof Face-Off competition 2021. Source: Pulse NG

Amidst all these wins, Hilda faced a challenge. She was still not taken seriously in the Nigerian food industry. Many times, brands and the general audience didn’t consider her a serious option. This became her drive to break the cooking marathon record.

She discussed her dream with many people, including the owner of the TV station that aired her cooking show on DSTV, but didn’t find any support until the right person came along. 

The Believers

One common thing that daring visions have is the ability to attract a bunch of unbelievers. Those who just can't see things the way the visionary does.

This can be quite discouraging for dreamers, as rejection has a way of affecting their emotions and motivation.

But you know what else has an incredibly powerful impact on a dreamer's emotions and motivation? Support! Having someone by their side who says, "Yes, let's do this!" can make all the difference in the world.

That is who Nowe Isibor was to Hilda.

Nowe was one of Hilda's former cooking students back in November 2022. When Hilda approached her with the audacious goal of breaking a Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon, Nowe was immediately captivated by her "dare-to-dream-different" attitude. She knew she had to find a way to help Hilda turn her dream into a reality.

Embracing the idea wholeheartedly, Nowe stepped up as the project manager and swiftly assembled a team of experts who would play vital roles in bringing Hilda's dream to life.

This was the turning point for Hilda.

The TakeOff

With the dream in place, the dreamer ready to take on the challenge, and the support to help, Hilda was prepared to embark on her extraordinary journey.

She gave her ambitious cooking project a catchy name: "Hilda Baci's Cook-a-thon." Her mission was to cook for an astounding 96 hours, dedicating an additional 9 hours to shatter the existing world record.

Once Nowe came on board, they headed back to the Guinness World Records website to fill out the application form and submit it for approval. It wasn't an automatic acceptance, though. They had to apply multiple times before receiving the approval.

Eventually, GWR sent them an email with detailed guidelines and set up a personalized dashboard for Hilda. The guidelines included the following requirements:

• She would cook for four days non-stop.

• She had to stand to cook; she was not permitted to sit.

• She could not take coffee, stimulants, or any energy drink to boost her energy and bodily strength while cooking artificially.

• She was allowed to eat food, drink water or fruit juice, and take glucose.

• She cooked round the clock, with no sleep.

• She had just five minutes of rest per hour.

• Whatever she cooked was shared with the people at the venue for free.

• She cooked different meals simultaneously.

• Every meal cooked and every plate served was recorded.

• After the Cook-a-thon, she would need to provide video evidence to GWR for evaluation. Their team would then assess the footage and update her dashboard to indicate whether she had successfully broken the record or not.

Hilda officially announced the project on Instagram on the 2nd of April. It was initially slated for the 28th of April but rescheduled to the 11th of May. Following the GWR rules, she made it a public event so people could RSVP to attend and eat as much as they could.

Pre-Event

It took proper planning and preparation for Hilda and her team to make the Cook-a-thon a success.

Hilda focused on getting fit and strong for the challenge by going to the gym and working with a fitness trainer named Kemen.

Since the event would be open to the public, they needed a lot of resources. They reached out to many companies to ask for sponsorship. Even though they faced rejection at first, they didn't give up.

Eventually, they managed to get support from well-known brands like Gino, Bama, Arla, Dano Milk, Jumbo, Coldstone, Meraki Project, Oriki, Domino's Pizza, Uber, and more.

Publicity for the event kicked off as soon as Hilda announced the Cook-a-thon. It involved going to a lot of media houses and massive social media activities.

Everything was ready. It was time to break the record.

The Main Event

One fascinating thing about success is that it's not just about making plans; it's about taking action.

You could spend years crafting a detailed plan to create a remarkable business, but if you don't actually start doing something, your business remains just an idea.

For Hilda, everything was set up to break the record for the longest cooking marathon. Now, it was time for her to begin cooking.

The event took place at Amore Gardens and kicked off when Hilda switched on her cooker at 4 pm on May 11th.

From that moment onward, there was no turning back. Hilda knew she had to cook for the next 87 hours if she wanted to have a chance at breaking the record.

A supportive crowd had gathered to cheer her on, made up of people from various walks of life, including her friends, family, and followers on social media.

The event also attracted several notable personalities such as Tiwa Savage, Kate Henshaw, Spyro, Banky-W, Dremo, Eni Adeoluwa, Teni, Kaffydance, Skiibii, Charles Okocha, Sydney Talker, and many more.

The Kings

Among the remarkable individuals who graced the occasion, I would like to highlight those I refer to as the "Kings." As mentioned in Isaiah 60:3...

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising

The reason I chose this passage as the title of my deep dive is not far-fetched. It reveals that the major criterion for people to gather is for you to shine. It's literally hard to resist the light and in that moment, Hilda became the shining light whose brightness attracted Kings.

The first king present was the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He paid a surprise visit to the venue of the cook-a-thon to celebrate and commend the talented chef

Other notable kings were:

• Bola Tinubu, Nigeria's President-elect, who expressed his support for Chef Hilda Baci by joining her Instagram live video.

• Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), who sent an encouraging tweet to Baci.

• Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria's Vice-President, who showed support with a phone call.

• Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, who tweeted his support.

• Senator Godswill Akpabio, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, who attended the cook-a-thon.

• Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, who joined his fellow countrymen in congratulating Hilda Baci on Instagram.

The Brands

Hilda's journey has taught me an invaluable lesson: I must do everything within my power to let my light shine.

People are naturally drawn to brightness, and even prominent brands are no exception.

While the event was still ongoing, Hilda began receiving endorsements and sponsorship deals from various brands, both locally and internationally.

Here are some of the remarkable partnerships she secured:

• Vesti App granted her an all-expenses-paid trip to the beautiful Maldives.

• Dana Air generously provided her with a year's worth of free tickets for all her domestic travels.

• Zaron Cosmetics offered a year's supply of skincare and makeup products, ensuring she looks radiant on her journey.

• Itel presented Hilda and her team with the advanced itel P40 smartphone.

• Victoria Crest Homes pledged a generous sum of ₦5 million in support of her endeavors.

• Citadel Utilities, recognizing her dedication, provided a premium 10KVA solar system to meet her energy needs.

• Royalrest Mattress offered a luxurious mattress, perfect for soothing her tired muscles after the grueling cook-a-thon.

• Brief Essentials extended their support with a year's supply of bras, shapewear, swimwear, and more.

• Baay Projects gifted Hilda with a portion of land in Ketu-Epe, an invaluable asset for her future endeavors.

The Record

On the morning of Monday, April 15th, at 7:45 am, Hilda accomplished a remarkable feat. She had cooked continuously for 87 hours and 45 minutes, surpassing the existing Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual. Now, it was entirely up to Hilda to decide when to conclude her extraordinary culinary journey.

Driven by her determination, she pushed forward to achieve her initial target of 96 hours. And by 4 pm on that very same day, she successfully completed those hours, surpassing her own expectations.

The supportive audience suggested she aim for a round figure of 100 hours. Encouraged by their cheers, Hilda continued cooking until 8:45 pm, ultimately reaching a remarkable cooking time of 100 hours and 45 minutes.

With this, a new record was set, awaiting validation by the esteemed organizing body, Guinness World Records.

Conclusion

Dreams come true only when we wake up and work towards them.

The story of Hilda Baci is one I have enjoyed putting together. Witnessing a world record being broken for the first time and not just reading it off any news site or a seeing it on a television was a great experience with so many lessons for me. I believe it has done the same for you?

Before you go, Expelessons is a portmanteau of Experience and Lessons. Experience is a great teacher only when you learn from it. If you'd love to read more from me, use the button below to subscribe to this newsletter.

To increase the reach of this deep dive and to show support to me, kindly share this article to other readers. Use the button below.