Nigerian celebrity chef Hilda Baci has successfully completed her Guinness World Record attempt for the largest pot of jollof rice, achieving the feat in the early hours of Saturday at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

 

The Akwa Ibom-born culinary star revealed that the giant dish was prepared with:

 

4,000 kg of basmati rice

 

500 cartons of tomato concentrate

 

750 kg of oil

 

600 kg of onions

 

 

all cooked in a custom-made steel pot measuring six metres in diameter.

 

Baci explained that although the original plan was to cook 250 bags of rice, she reduced it to 200 bags to avoid exceeding the 20,000 kg weight limit of the measuring equipment.

 

Throughout the marathon session, ten assistants in red uniforms worked with giant wooden paddles to stir the massive meal while DJs and live performances kept the audience entertained.

 

The festival, tagged “Gino World Jollof Festival,” drew prominent guests, including Ogun State First Lady Bamidele Abiodun and celebrities such as Funke Akindele, Bambam, Tomike Adeoye, Alex Unusual, Enioluwa Adeoluwa, TikTok star Peller, and Afrobeats singer Spyro.

 

Addressing the crowd, Funke Akindele applauded Baci’s determination and urged women to pursue bold dreams:

 

“You can look beautiful, but you must hustle and do something special for yourself,” she said to loud cheers.

 

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, commended Baci on Friday, describing the effort as another demonstration of Nigeria’s global excellence.

 

At one emotional moment, Baci broke down in tears after reading a flood of online messages of encouragement, visibly moved by the overwhelming support for her record-breaking achievement.