Nigerian chef, Hilda Baci, sets new Guinness World Record for ‘marathon cooking’

By Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja

Nigerian chef, Hilda Effiong Bassey, popularly known as Hilda Baci, has surpassed the current Guinness World Record holder.

With her feat, she’s poised to break the Guinness World Record for the “longest cooking marathon by an individual” after hitting the 87 hours 50 minutes mark.

The restaurateur began the competition on Thursday after she turned on her cooker at 4pm and surpassed the current world record holder on Monday morning.

If certified by the Guinness World Record, she will be displacing the current world record holder, Lata Tondon, an Indian chef who achieved the feat in 2019 with 87 hours 45 minutes record uninterrupted cooking.

Baci’s cooking marathon is currently ongoing at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos State. In her ongoing recordbreaking attempt, Nigerians, including several celebrities defied the rain to physically cheer up the visibly tired chef.

The chef won the maiden edition of the Jollof Face-off Competition in 2021, pocketing a grand prize of $5000.

The Guinness Book of Records is a reference book that contains human and natural world records.

It was first published in 1955 by the Guinness Brewery in Ireland and has since become one of the world’s most wellknown and frequently read reference books.

Individuals or groups must submit proof to the Guinness World Records team and go through a verification process to qualify for a world record listing.

FEC Approves N3.197bn Taxi Waylights, Photometric Pattern for 3 airports

By Egena Sunday Ode

The Federal Government has approved N3,197,127,22.72 for the procurement and installation of Taxi Waylights and Photometric Pattern in three airports and some other equipment all over the country.

This was even as the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, insisted that Nigeria Air will commence operation before handing over power in May 29, 2023.

Sirika stated this after the

Extraordinary Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Sirika explained that the equipment would be installed in Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja airports.

“So today in council, something very significant has happened in the world of civil aviation. Part of our roadmap, the aviation leasing company has been established and approved by council.

“Asecond memo was also a contract for procurement, an installation of taxi waylights in the system and photometric pattern in Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja and some other equipment all over the country.

“And this contract is in the total sum for the photometric and taxi waylights system N3,197,127, 22.72 billion with an eight month period and the contractor Mssrss KSR3 Global Ledger Limited,” the minister said.

Showing the approval, the minister said, enterpreneurs in civil aviation will have access to these equipment at affordable rates in Nigeria, and this is part of the roadmap, adding that, the roadmap is gradually coming to 100% completion.

Regarding Nigeria Air, the minister further explained that “yes, we are on course, we’re on course, and by the grace of God before President Buhari leaves office, it will fly. We are on course, we are on course and before May 29, it will fly.

L-R: District Rotaract Representative, Rtn. Olaleye Gbolahan (PHF), Sir Kingsley Okoro, Rotary International President’s Representative and Past District Governor (PDG), Rtn. Ijeoma Pearl Okoro and District Governor of Rotary, District 9125, Rotn. Goddy Nnadi, during the opening session of the 14th District Conference in Abuja on Friday.

Collaboration: Panacea to solving challenges in Nigeria’s aquaculture -Experts

Experts in the aquaculture industry in Nigeria have identified collaboration among stakeholders as a panacea to solving challenges in the industry. They stated this at the stallholders’ engagement workshop in Ibadan on Tuesday. The programme is with the theme: “Implementation of Best Management Practices in Aquaculture and E-Technology Platform Adoption for Sustainable Aquaculture Development in Nigeria”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is funded by USAID, hosted by University of Ibadan and the International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM). Prof. Olanike Adeyemo, the Principal

Investigator, FIL Aquaculture Biosecurity Project, University of Ibadan, said the project was one of USAID-funded projects under the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. Adeyemo said that Nigeria was the host Country, and the project sites are Ogun and Delta states.

According to her, the theme of the workshop is focused on disseminating Best Management Practices in Aquaculture. She stated that it was developed as an outcome of the project with the hope that the uptake of BMP by farmers would lead to a significant reduction in the incidences of diseases in aquaculture. “We should also be presenting a justification for a collaborative development and implementation of a National Aquatic Animal

Health and Governance Strategy (NAAHS). “We strongly believed that communicating our findings will in no little measure assist Competent Authorities with jumpstarting the processes involved in having a NAAHS enacted, implemented, and monitored.

This is to ensure performance sustainability and resilience of the Nigerian aquaculture industry,” she said. Adeyemo said the workshop would showcase best examples of electronic technology platforms for aquaculture development in Nigeria. This, she said, would include demonstrating the improvements of E-Aquahealth Solutions, that was developed to bridge the identified gap of inadequate veterinary and disease diagnostic support to the Industry. Also, Prof. Gabriel Ogundipe, Head, Department, of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ibadan, stated that the industry in Nigeria was growing and Nigeria was depending on it for animal protein supply.

So, many people are in the industry either as fishermen or as fish farmers, whereas a lot of people are also involved in marketing the products of the aquaculture industry. “So, we need to sustain the industry to be able to feed the multitudes of Nigerians. “We also need to sustain the industry to maintain the people who are employed by the industry. “And, we also need to maintain this industry because of the consumers who depend on fish for their livelihood,” he said.