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Mrs. Bassey, mother of Hilda Baci, has attributed her daughter’s Guinness World Record for the largest Nigerian-style jollof rice to God.
She said the success was achieved through fasting, prayer, and divine intervention, declaring, “What God cannot do does not exist.”
Speaking during Pastor Jerry Eze’s NSPPD online morning service on Tuesday, Mrs. Bassey, owner of Calabar Pot restaurant in Gudu, Abuja, recounted the days leading up to Baci’s record-breaking attempt.
She described how Hilda first told her about the plan to cook a six-metre-wide pot of rice using 250 bags of basmati.
“My daughter said, ‘Mommy, I want to cook the biggest pot of jollof rice.’ When she mentioned 250 bags, I was shaking.
“When she sent me the video of the pot, I said, what kind of rice is this one? That pot was like my office. I was afraid,” she said.
Mrs. Bassey explained that they immediately began fasting and praying, seeking God’s guidance for the event.
“She told me, Mommy, we have to fast all through this week. And we started. I joined NSPPD every morning, prayed all through the night, and put the picture of the event before God.
“I said, Father, what you did before in Amore Garden, do it again in Eko Hotel. A season of good news must not turn to shame,” she said.
She admitted that she feared the enormous pot could collapse under the weight of rice, meat, and oil.
“Even the cover of that pot, people could not carry it. They had to bring in cranes to lift it. I prayed, Father, this pot I hand over to you.
“It was made by man, but you are God. May it not leak. Because if it leaked, the flame and the gas would catch fire. That would have turned joy to disaster. But God did it,” she said.
Mrs. Bassey revealed that the pot eventually held 200 bags of rice, 20 goats, 30 gallons of oil, and large portions of tomato paste and seasonings.
“That pot swallowed everything. By Saturday it had been carried to the venue. I walked in, touched it, and told God, what I am afraid of will not happen. And it ended in praise,” she said.
She added that near the end of cooking, Hilda encouraged the team to pray together.
“About 40 minutes to go, she came to me and said, ‘Mommy, we need to pray in the Holy Ghost.’ She told the team, ‘This is the first time you people will eat rice that the Holy Ghost will cook.’
“And I smiled. That is the kind of faith she has,” she said.
According to Mrs. Bassey, Guinness officials later used a crane to weigh the giant pot and confirmed the record without incident.
Grateful for the outcome, she said, “Guinness has called us. My daughter has broken the record two times. Two times record holder. Who is Hilda? Who is Hilda’s father? Who is Hilda’s mother?
“What is our family name? For us to pull such a crowd, it can only be God.”
She also expressed amazement at the huge crowd that attended the event.
“When I saw the crowd, I just said, what God cannot do does not exist. Father, no one will collapse here, no death, no accident, no evil report. And that was how it ended, everything in praise,” she said.
On Monday, Guinness World Records officially confirmed the achievement, stating: “New record, Largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice – 8,780 kg (19,356 lb 9 oz) achieved by Hilda Baci and Gino in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.”
Hilda Baci herself celebrated on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “We have done it again #nigeria #hildabaci.”
The chef, who first gained recognition with her 2023 Guinness cook-a-thon, now holds two world records, solidifying her reputation as one of Nigeria’s top culinary figures.
Watch her speak below:
#HildaBaci
#MrsBassey
#Gwr
Hilda Baci is indeed who she thinks she is
ReplyDeleteWhat a great woman