Oyindamola Olaleye 
Social commentator and governance advocate, Bello Galadanci, popularly known as Dan Bello, has stirred widespread debate on social media after mocking Nigerian celebrity chef, Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record (GWR) attempt.
In a series of posts on his X handle on Saturday, Bello described the record-breaking cooking feat that attracted over 20,000 attendees as a “National distraction” from Nigeria’s pressing development issues.
According to him, while other countries are making groundbreaking advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), space exploration, and infrastructure, Nigerians were “Busy celebrating a steaming pot of Guinness-certified rice.”
Bello further alleged that the government’s unease about the event was not about the cooking itself, but because the food was freely distributed to citizens.
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He said, “Hunger is the only local content Nigeria has perfected.”
His comments quickly drew mixed reactions online as users took to his comment section to respond to his utterances.
Defending Hilda Baci, X user Chioma Eze wrote: “The Guinness record attempt does not stop Nigeria from developing in science or technology. She’s a chef doing her thing, just like entertainers or athletes do worldwide.”
Another user, Musa Ibrahim, argued Nigerians were too quick to criticize:
“Hilda is just one person out of over 200 million doing what she loves. Many who attended were not poor, they were fans, friends, and even celebrities supporting her.”
However, some users sided with Bello. Aisha Suleiman said:
“Over 20,000 gathered for rice, some till 5 a.m., but cannot come out to demand good governance or protest killings and kidnappings in the country.”
Similarly, Kingsley Adeyemi dismissed the hype as overrated, stating:
“Nigeria needs real progress like infrastructure, not cooking stunts. Hunger won’t end with a big pot of rice.”
As the online debate rages, Nigerians remain split between those who see Baci’s achievement as inspirational and those who believe it reflects the nation’s misplaced priorities in the face of economic and social challenges.
