By Mary Ikoku
The action of One woman has suddenly brought a nation that had been so divided since the election to such unity. Thank you, Hilda Bassey and congratulations on your record breaking Cook-a-thon.
Breaking the Guinness World Record for the “longest cooking marathon by an individual is no small feat. At the moment, Hilda has broken the record but fans are urging her to make it to 100hours. She has achieved 99 and has less than an hour to go. Here are a few lessons from the Cookathon.
If you’ve been following Hilda for a while now, you could tell that excellence is consistent in everything she does, and I dare say that her courage to dream this big is enough inspiration for our teeming youths. So be consistent in excellence!
Teamwork, Collaborations, Family, Perseverance, and Determination are some of the lessons you must take away from this whole exercise.
Hilda is amazing. Her team is equally amazing. The Assistant Chef deserves commendation. He was so pivotal to this success. Her entire team are fantastic humans. You see why you need to surround yourself with the right crowd. Even the unthinkable can be made to happen with the right group of people. Choose your tribe well.
Hilda has shown that Collaboration works like magic. She had GB Foods as her Lead sponsor but so many brands supported her. Brands like Arla Foods, BaigeWallet, Filmhouse, Jumbo, Uber and Woodscope. It was Footballer, Pele who said and I quote;
“No individual can win a game by himself.” Truly, every collaboration helps you grow and succeed! So collaborate more.
Family support is a big deal. You notice the time Hilda’s mother came speaking words to her daughter? It was a massive boost! You could tell how tired she was at that time but just knowing that her mother is rooting for her was a huge motivation. Some of you have families who are even laughing at your dream or totally unbothered about them because of see finish. Family is very important and family is everything.
Everyone has the capacity to be heard, but until you make the decision to seize the spotlight, no one will turn their attention in your direction. People are drawn to successful outcomes and a clear direction.
I sincerely hope that young people can learn a lesson or two from Hilda.
Hilda Baci is not new to cooking competitions, she was a participant in the maiden edition of the Jollof Face-off Competition in 2021. The talented chef made Nigeria proud by winning the competition and walking away with a grand prize of $5000. So, don’t ever think this was achieved by a sudden flight. She had put in years of work.
Hilda started working towards her dream as soon as she conceived it. She put herself through a lot of training and preparation over the last few days, weeks, months, and years. Practising new workouts and learning new recipes. Then I thought of the verse that says, “As long as your eyes can see, it is given unto you.” Hilda was highly familiar with the passage of scripture and was aware that it was speaking of vision rather than actual eyes. Describe what you see. That dream, what is it? Get to work on it and watch God provide the funds and all resources you need.
*Mary Ikoku, founder and President of Moms Africa, is a Communications and Public Relations Consultant.
