According to information on its website, it all started with a golden plover and a question that seemed unanswerable. On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Breweries, went on a shooting party in the North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. After missing a shot at a golden plover, he became embroiled in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the golden plover or the red grouse (the plover is faster, but neither is the fastest game bird in Europe).
That evening at Castlebridge House, he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether the golden plover was Europe’s fastest game bird. Beaver knew that there must have been numerous other questions debated nightly among the public, but there was no book in the world to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying answers to these sorts of questions might prove successful.
Beaver’s idea became reality when Guinness employee, Christopher Chataway, recommended university friends Norris and Ross McWhirter, who had been running a fact-finding agency in London. The twin brothers were commissioned to compile what became The Guinness Book of (Superlatives and now) Records in August 1954.
A thousand copies were printed and given away. That is how, in 1955, the first edition of the Guinness Book of Records came about. A book of facts that would be reprinted four times, with 187,000 copies sold.
Guinness World Records – originally the Guinness Book of Records – the ultimate authority on record-breaking achievements, started as an idea for a book of facts to solve arguments in pubs. Guinness Superlatives was incorporated on 30 November, and the office opened in two rooms in a converted gymnasium on the top floor of Ludgate House, 107 Fleet Street. After an initial research phase, work began on writing the book, which took 13 and a half 90-hour weeks, including weekends and bank holidays. Little did the McWhirters know that taking shape was a book that would go on to become an all-time best seller and one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the world. Although the books never did tackle this original question – owing to their focus purely on world records – the red-breasted merganser would be the most likely answer; it is fully migratory and still occasionally hunted.
The latest edition, the 70th, was published on 15 September 2023. It is published in 100 countries and 23 languages and maintains over 53,000 records in its database.
Available information shows that at least 45 Nigerians hold Guinness World Records in different categories. They include Bose Omolayo, for the heaviest Para powerlift by a female in the -79kg category, which is 144 kg; Paul Kehinde for the heaviest para powerlift by a male in the -65kg category, which is 221 kg; Stephen Keshi, the youngest person to win the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and coach; Chinonso Eche, for the most football (soccer ball) headers in a prone position in one minute (233) and the record for the fastest time to 1,000 football (soccer ball) touches while balancing a ball on the head in 7 min 46 sec; Fela Kuti for recording 46 albums as a solo artist over the course of a solo career spanning 23 years; and Blessing Okagbare, for the most appearances in Diamond League meetings by an athlete (67) in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and long jump disciplines.
Also on the list are Joshua Jason Usoro, Nelson Ikukpu, Christopher, Esiri David, Kada Shammah, Otum Joshua, Nelson Steven, Alice, Paul Sneh, Janet Jiya, Chizzy, Abayomi Oyebanji, Trust, Modesola, Kivyston, Amos, and Shazam for the longest dance marathon relay (53 hr 28 min 47 sec); Wizkid for the first track to reach one billion streams on Spotify for the song “One Dance” by Drake (Canada) featuring musicians Wizkid and Kyla, as of 16 December 2016; Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau Aka Kaffy for “Longest Dance Party” at the Nokia Silverbird Danceathon in 2006; Oyinka Asu-Johnson AKA DJ Yin for the longest DJ set, operating her set for 243 hours, 30 minutes; and Rema as the first artist to top the Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) charts setting a new Guinness Book of Records with the song ‘Calm Down,’ one of the fastest songs to get over 100 million streams on Spotify. Even though these records were held by Nigerians, not much was known of them just as there seemed to be no interest in
the GWR by Nigerians. All that, however, changed in mid-2023 when Nigerian chef Hilda Baci broke the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time.
Ever since Baci broke the record for cooking, there has been a renewed interest by Nigerians in setting records. In July 2023, the GWR said it had, over a two-month period, received 1,500 applications from Nigerians attempting to break different records.
I am, however, concerned with chefs like Baci, who want to ‘set the book on fire.’. There have been many cook-a-thons by Nigerians since Miss Baci’s venture in 2023. A month after Hilda Baci became the longest cooking chef on GWR, Damilola Adeparusi, a 22-year-old chef from Ekiti attempted to break the record, aiming to cook for 120 hours. Adeola Adeyeye from Ondo State also embarked on a 150-hour cooking marathon, beginning on June 30, 2023, and ending on July 7th, 2023. The attempt was, however, not recognized by the GWR. Another Nigerian chef attempted to bring the title back to Nigeria. Chef Tope’s attempt was a 200-hour cook-a-thon in Ogbomoso, Oyo State on November 18th. Irish chef, Alan Fisher, took the record from Hilda Baci after completing a 119 hours and 57 minutes cooking session.
Benue-born Chef Naira Victor just completed his 150-hour cook-a-thon in Makurdi, the state capital.
The lack of creativity by Nigerians in choosing a record to break is puzzling, but I’m impressed by Chef Naira Victor’s motive, which was to draw attention to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) situation in Benue State where he comes from. Some indigenes of the state who were sacked from their homes on account of protracted herders-farmers clashes have been living in deplorable conditions for upwards of seven years, or even more, with no hopes of returning to their homes as the areas have been taken over by their attackers. He said all the meals cooked during the cook-a-thon would be sent to the IDP camps as a way of calling attention to their plight.
Coming on the heels of Chef Victor is Chef Rosemary Grace Igbadume, popularly known as RossyG, who has vowed to return the Guinness World Record, GWR, for the longest cooking marathon by an individual back to Nigeria, with a 21 days cook-a-thon.
Something needs to be done and fast too, a record-breaking effort, maybe, before Nigerians ‘tear’ this book which has survived 69 years.
The way I see it, if the GWR gets torn, Nigerians should be held responsible, but if it is destroyed by fire, let the chefs be held accountable for it.
