Celebrity chef Hilda Baci’s latest Guinness World Record attempt has drawn mixed reactions. While she has been widely celebrated for cooking the world’s largest pot of jollof rice, activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has downplayed the achievement.
In a post on social media, Barker-Vormawor described the record as meaningless.
“Getting a Guinness world record for cooking the Largest pot of Nigerian Jollof is such a waste of time. I would rather watch the cooking of 1 teaspoon of Ghana Jollof,” he wrote, taking aim at both the record and the Nigeria-Ghana jollof rivalry.
On Saturday, Baci completed the feat at the Gino World Jollof Festival, held at the car park of Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), she cooked nearly 200 bags of rice in a massive 22,619-litre pot, measuring six metres wide and tall, within nine hours.
The festival pulled in thousands of fans, food vendors, and entertainers who came out to support her.
After the preparation, the jollof was shared with over 30,000 people in takeaway packs, with excess food given to those who brought along coolers.
Her effort also won official praise. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, hailed Baci’s attempt as a sign of Nigeria’s growing global excellence.
His message, delivered through Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, highlighted the achievement as one that showcased Nigerian talent to the world.
