By Ebuka Ukoh
The cynicism had come too quickly. A couple of years ago, after Hilda Baci, Nigeria's celebrity chef, set another Guinness World Record, this time for the largest pot of Jollof rice, social media lit up with mockery.
Some dismissed her effort as frivolous. Others nitpicked about her methods. A few even sneered, “Why celebrate cooking when other nations are going to the moon?”
By the chef's latest feat, the largest rice serving of the Nigerian jollof rice, the killjoys must be hiding their faces in shame.
Cynicism may be loud, but not enough to silence the truth: Hilda Baci, in her 20s, has already achieved what many only dream of, not once, not twice but three times.
Audacity of Hilda
In 2023, she cooked for 93 hours and 11 minutes, breaking the ‘cook-aton’ record for the longest cooking by an individual. Not long afterwards, she did it again with the largest pot of the Nigeria-style jollof rice.
These are no mean feats. They demand planning, resilience, and vision. Baci’s run for the largest Jollof rice serving began in September 2025.
Her work is not flawless, no human effort is. But greatness has never been about perfection. Greatness is about audacity: the courage to dream, the discipline to dare, and the grit to finish.
Cooking may not launch satellites, but it sustains palaces, parliaments, and presidencies. Food is a global connector. Through cooking, the famous chef has made Nigeria visible in ways we rarely appreciate.
Nigeria Already Weighed Down
Our tragedy is that her feats are coming when young Nigerians are weighed down by unemployment, inflation, and the quiet frustration of being unseen. In such a climate, cynicism becomes easy, it is cheaper to mock than to build. We saw this recently when Peller was dragged online for his efforts to host IShowSpeed during his tour in Nigeria. Instead of curiosity or support, the instinct was ridicule, as though attempting something ambitious had become a social offense.
But cynicism is not a strength; it is surrender. It dishonours ambition and erodes the fragile hope that keeps a nation alive. Often, the loudest cynics are not creators but commentators, those who have never risked their own names or carried a nation’s pride on their shoulders.
Gender and Generation Barriers
This cook’s courage carries significant weight as a woman in a society that often overlooks women. Her boldness reshapes the traditional image of a female, young, and determined Nigerian.
She is also part of a generational wave refusing to ask for permission. Tems is winning Grammys and Oscars for her songwriting. Ayra Starr is filling arenas worldwide with Afrobeats. Nollywood directors are premiereing films at Cannes. Nigerian tech entrepreneurs are attracting global venture capital. On the pitch and the track, women like Asisat Oshoala and Tobi Amusan continue to remind the world that Nigerian excellence is not limited by gender.
Together, they remind us: Nigeria’s youth are not the problem, they are the possibility.
Where Policymakers Keep Failing
The youth are boosting the country's global image more effectively than politicians. Despite the Afrobeats success on international charts, artists struggle with copyright protection and tour infrastructure. Nollywood grows, yet piracy affects filmmakers' income. Fashion designers like Seyi Vodi lead the way, but textile supply chain support from the government is either insufficient or nonexistent.
Rather than ridicule “soft industries” like food, fashion, or music, policymakers should be investing in them. These are the sectors where Nigeria is already winning. Imagine if we had cultural endowment funds, culinary schools, and creative hubs supported with the same urgency as endless government convoys or stadium renovations.
A Call Beyond Cynicism
Hilda Baci’s story is not about pots of jollof rice, it is about the audacity of youth. She should inspire every Nigerian in their 20s to keep dreaming boldly and every Nigerian in their 40s and above to remember that it is never too late to start.
So critique if you must, but let it be constructive. Celebrate effort. Honour courage. Reject the poverty of spirit that drags down those who rise.
The Nigeria we aspire to create will not be constructed by pessimists but by visionaries, achievers, and optimists like Hilda – individuals who dedicate 93 hours to cooking, challenge existing records, and showcase Nigeria's prowess in their unique manner.
The world I desire is not one of put-downs and cynicism, but one where kindness is high voltage, effort is honoured, and Nigerian audacity, whether in kitchens, studios, stadiums, or labs, is never an apology but a legacy.
If we want fewer funerals of wasted potential and more feasts of global recognition, we must cheer our own when they step into the arena. Support Nigerian excellence wherever it blooms.
At the end of the day, history does not remember who mocked the loudest, it remembers who built, who dared, and who changed lives.
~Mr Ukoh, an alumnus of the American University of Nigeria, Yola, and PhD student at Columbia University, writes from New York.
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