₦airaland Forum

ibabz:
Anyone with an engineering background would definitely know some of the lapses in the project. I actually wrote an engineering review ( Hilda Baci’s Giant Pot: An Engineering Review) but decided to suspend posting it because I did want to raise unnecessary controversy over the project. I think I can post it now since the whole tension has died down.

This is my review, not to tarnish her achievements but for future projects.

As much as I admire the ingenuity and creativity behind Hilda Baci’s giant pot of jollof rice attempt, I cannot help but observe, from an engineering standpoint, a few flaws that should be addressed for future projects of this nature. This is not to rubbish the immense effort, sacrifices, and passion of those involved, but rather to highlight lessons and raise awareness for improvements in design, safety, and execution.

Though I haven’t physically inspected the pot, my comments are based on publicly available data, technical observations, and established engineering practices.

What We Know About the Giant Pot

Size & Capacity: Approximately 6 metres wide, with a reported capacity of 22,619 litres.

Weight: The pot itself weighs about 1.4 tonnes (1,430 kg), excluding contents.

Contents: Designed to hold around 200 bags (4,000 kg) of rice, alongside hundreds of kilograms of oil, onions, and tomato paste.

Heating System: The pot was heated by 10 isolated burners positioned underneath, powered by multiple gas cylinders.

Cleaning Method: Hilda personally cleaned the pot using soap, water, and a mop stick, and even climbed inside to demonstrate hygiene before cooking began.

What Worked Well
Custom Fabrication
The pot was a remarkable feat of bespoke engineering and fabrication. Designing and producing a vessel capable of holding over 22 tonnes of food/liquid without collapsing is no small achievement.
Structural supports and scaffolding ensured the pot remained upright and stable despite the enormous load.

Distributed Heating Concept
Using multiple burners allowed the team to generate significant heat input, even though it was not the most efficient arrangement. Operators actively monitored and rotated heat zones, showing good improvisation under pressure.

Creative Problem-Solving
Given the novelty of the project, the team deserves credit for bringing together fabrication, logistics, and culinary artistry into one event.

Areas for Improvement
Cleaning & Hygiene
While the soap-and-mop method demonstrated effort and transparency, it falls short of industrial food-safety standards.

A pot of this scale should undergo sterilization with high-temperature steam or food-grade disinfectants to eliminate microbial risks. Relying only on detergent and manual scrubbing introduces contamination risks, especially when the vessel is open to the environment for extended periods.

Heating System Design
The use of 10 isolated burners under the base is inefficient for a pot of this size.
Heat distribution is uneven, leading to potential hot spots at the bottom and undercooked zones at the top or along the walls.

A better approach would be a centralized, integrated heating system fabricated as part of the pot. for example:
Double-wall (jacketed) design with circulating hot oil or steam.
Central burner chamber with radiating channels to distribute heat evenly across the base and lower walls.

Insulated cladding to reduce heat losses and improve energy efficiency.
Temperature Monitoring
Large volumes of food require multiple temperature probes distributed across different depths and radial zones.
Continuous logging ensures that every part of the contents reaches the safe cooking temperature (>75°C). From available reports, this level of monitoring was not evident.

Safety & Fuel Management
Managing multiple gas cylinders and open burners increases risks of leaks, uneven pressure, and fire hazards.
A centralized fuel manifold with automated regulators, shutoff valves, and leak detectors would be safer and more reliable.

Structural Calculations & Certification
With total loads exceeding 24 tonnes, every support, weld, and joint should be backed by documented engineering calculations and certification.
While the structure held up, public records of such certification are missing. This should be mandatory for future attempts to reassure safety.

Recommendations for Future Projects
Fabrication: Commission food-grade stainless steel with a jacketed heating system, certified welds, and proper insulation.

Heating: Replace isolated burners with an integrated central heating unit, designed and tested for even thermal circulation.

Cleaning & Hygiene: Use steam sterilization or industrial sanitizing procedures instead of mop-stick cleaning. Ensure food-safety officers supervise.

Temperature Monitoring: Deploy at least 6–12 probes with continuous logging to ensure food safety and record compliance.

Safety Systems: Install gas leak detectors, auto shutoff valves, fire extinguishers, and spill containment barriers.

Documentation: Fabricators must provide structural calculations, welding procedure records, burner specifications, and HACCP-compliant cleaning protocols.

Final Thoughts
The giant pot project is a bold step in showcasing African creativity and culinary ambition on the world stage. However, if we are to turn such records into repeatable, professional-grade projects, then engineering, safety, and hygiene must match the scale of the vision. With better design, especially in heating, sterilization, and monitoring, future record attempts will not only wow the crowd but also set a global benchmark for innovation and safety.

Congratulations message to this incredible beauty and brain being!

Congratulations on yet another incredible achievement in breaking a world record! Your determination, creativity, and resilience continue to inspire millions across the globe. This milestone is not just a personal victory but also a proud moment for all of us who believe in the power of passion and hard work.
More records will surely fall before you, because this is only the beginning of your extraordinary journey. Keep shining, keep breaking barriers, and keep inspiring the world.
With great admiration,

Anyone with an engineering background would definitely know some of the lapses in the project. I actually wrote an engineering review ( Hilda Baci’s Giant Pot: An Engineering Review) but decided to suspend posting it because I did want to raise unnecessary controversy over the project. I think I can post it now since the whole tension has died down.

zero8zero:
Says someone who along with his boss, OBJ couldn't pass the PIB into law till they left office, PDP throughout their sixteen years couldn't pass the bill into law until Buhari did in 2021. But this shameless politician has the gut to come out to talk. The most corrupt VP in the history of Nigeria.

Abeg, who do you like this? You didn’t read the article, that one is clear, because if you did, you wouldn’t be disgracing yourself with ignorance like it’s a national assignment. Every small thing, you drag PDP as if that will wash APC’s monumental failure clean. Your APC has redefined corruption; they don’t just steal, they steal with pride and call press conferences after. Yet you’re here shouting “Atiku is corrupt.” Please, Professor Evidence, can you show us the court judgment that convicted him? Or is it only in your WhatsApp group university that such cases are decided?

As much as I love this initiative but it’s said that charity begins at home. I expected us to first unit every division in Nigeria before we can extend that same to other African countries.

Credit where it’s due! I’d like to commend my state governor for this initiative. This is what good governance should look like, the kind that turns even the harshest critics into willing crusaders.

I hope these people are aware of what is going on in Nepal. All the money stolen couldn’t save the politicians.

The game plan couldn’t be clearer: block Obi from the ballot entirely, whether as a presidential candidate or even as a running mate. The power brokers know that once Obi is out of the picture, the chessboard narrows. Consider the likely lineup: Jonathan for the South-South and South-East, Tinubu for the South-West, and Atiku holding the North. In that equation, Jonathan is destined for a distant third place. And let’s be honest, Jonathan isn’t in this race to win. His candidacy looks more like a payday than a pathway to power, a convenient means to cash in politically while settling old grudges. In short, he’s playing for profit, not for the presidency.

The removal of Nigeria’s fuel subsidy has ignited fierce debate across the country. For many citizens, it was a policy rolled out too hastily, without adequate planning for the consequences. For others, it was an unavoidable step, long overdue.

One of the government’s favourite defences is that the leading opposition candidates in the 2023 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party also had fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms in their manifestos.

Indeed, Reno Omokri, a vocal political commentator, argued:

“It was part of our manifesto as the Peoples Democratic Party, both under Waziri Atiku Abubakar, and former President Jonathan.”

Atiku, during his campaign, pledged to end the petrol subsidy within his first 100 days in office, with a clear plan for how savings would be redirected into investments that benefit Nigerians. Peter Obi was also quoted on ChannelsTV as saying he would remove the subsidy immediately if elected.

So yes, subsidy removal was on their agenda too. This raises the question: who copied who?

Copycats Without Context
Here’s the crucial point: copying a policy is not the same as understanding it. Atiku and Obi both acknowledged the need for subsidy removal, but neither promised to yank it off on day one without stakeholder engagement and safety nets. Their emphasis was on timing, planning, and the right team to drive the transition.

Tinubu’s government, on the other hand, seems to have borrowed the idea without borrowing the homework. It is one thing to read a plan in someone’s manifesto; it is another to understand the “how, when, and who” behind it. That gap is what has created today’s economic chaos. The parallel is simple: a student copying an answer without understanding the question is bound to fail.

The Copycat Joke That Explains It All
This situation is best captured by an old classroom joke.

Two friends graduate from university. One is brilliant, the other… well, let’s just say his brain spent more time on vacation. Through school, the dullard survived by copying the smart one word-for-word. When they finally got invited to the same job interview, the brilliant one went first. Everything went smoothly.

Interview:
What is your name?
– Ahmed Tijani.

Do you have any criminal record?
– No, sir.

Can you work under pressure?
– Yes, sir.

Do you believe in teamwork?
– Yes, sir. It’s scientifically proven.

Are you confident you can handle this job?
– That’s correct, sir.

He walked out smiling and whispered his “magic answers” to his dull friend:

“My name is Ahmed Tijani.
No sir.
Yes sir.
Yes sir, it’s scientifically proven.
That’s correct, sir.
That would be very nice sir, thank you sir.”

Armed with this, the dullard marched in.

Second Interview:
Who forgot to switch off the toilet light?
– Ahmed Tijani.

Did I ask you?
– Yes, sir.

Are you okay at all?
– No, sir.

Wait… are you saying you’re insane?
– Yes, sir. It’s scientifically proven.

Should we call security and throw you out?
– That would be very nice, sir. Thank you, sir.

This is exactly what happens when policies are copied without grasping their intent.

Policy Copying Without Context
Nigeria today is living through that same dullard’s interview. Policies are copied word-for-word from opponents or foreign models, but without understanding the context.

Take the floating of the naira. In theory, a free-floating currency can stabilize a market economy. But while it may succeed in a productive economy with strong exports, it often collapses in an import-dependent nation like Nigeria.

The result? The naira plunged to a record low of ₦1,900 per US dollar in early 2024. And despite boasting about “market forces,” the government still intervened massively. According to Bismarck Rewane, as reported by ThisDay, the Federal Government spent almost $8 billion just to support the naira’s stability. That’s not reform, that’s panic spending.

Even if Atiku or Obi had removed the subsidy, their approach to leadership and cabinet selection might have made a difference. Atiku, for instance, persuaded Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to join President Obasanjo’s cabinet in 2003, helping to shape reforms. It is hard to imagine him stacking critical offices purely on ethnic or religious lines.

That is the real lesson here: policy design is only half the story. Implementation and leadership choices decide whether a policy succeeds or fails.

So, the next time a government copies a policy, whether from another country or from an opponent’s manifesto, it must do so with understanding, planning, and expert advice. Copying word-for-word without context is like the dullard in the interview: the answers may sound right, but the results will be disastrous.

Slytiger:
And gas is still so expensive in America. Na waoh. Gas is still costly.

Thats why I bought a Toyota hybrid.

Which gives me low gas mileage.

I honestly don’t get your point. A gallon is roughly 4 liters. If you buy a gallon of gasoline in the US for $4.50, that breaks down to about $1 per liter. Now, if you compare that with the US minimum wage, one hour of work buys around 15 liters of fuel.

But here in Nigeria, it’s a different story entirely. The new minimum wage of ₦70,000 monthly means a worker earns about ₦2333 per day. [/b]With the pump price at over ₦1,000 per liter, a [b]full day’s wage cannot buy you more than 2 liters of fuel. And yet, despite this wicked reality, this government still wants to slap an additional 5% tax on petrol.

At this point, I can’t help but ask: what offense did Nigerians commit against Tinubu that he feels the need to punish us like this? Honestly, I could still manage to understand the subsidy removal, but this fresh tax on fuel? There is absolutely NOTHING anyone can say to justify such madness. It’s as if he simply hates the sight of poor Nigerians driving on the same roads with him.

ajalawole:
South ke.... They can only pass though Erin ile in Kwara and enter osun Kwara security is very porous, at the osun end of Kwara border the security is very tight. Am from osun, oyan town precisely sharing border with Erin ile Kwara state. Those bandit won't dare okuta cuz of the amount of security in that town, from army to custom to immigration to civil defense.

Kwara was once a peaceful place. But the same people who crept into Kogi and then Benue are now making their way here. As the Yoruba adage says, “eni ti a nso la mo, a ko mo eni to nso wa”. We know who we are watching, but we don’t know who is watching us. What I see is a deliberate, systematic progression. These so-called bandits, jihadists in disguise clearly have a bigger plan.

I can only hope and pray these people aren’t gradually infiltrating and spreading into the Southwest. Because if you truly understand how these bandits operate, then you’ll know this is a serious red flag that should worry the entire region.

During the Buhari years, there was at least one bright flicker of hope in economic reforms: thanks largely to then-Coordinating Minister of the Economy (and Vice President), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

The government took tangible steps to reduce the cost of business registration, chop through red tape, and remove bureaucratic bottlenecks that discouraged formalization. The result? Thousands of Nigerians, including me were able to register companies more easily, spark innovation, and create jobs. I still remember being among those who benefited from that well-intentioned policy.

Fast-forward to today, and it feels like we’re replaying a tragic rerun. Instead of building on past gains, the Tinubu administration has decided to double or worse some CAC registration-related costs.

Registering a private company under Buhari typically cost between ₦25,000 to ₦50,000, depending on share capital, with business name registration at around ₦10,000–₦15,000. A name reservation was as low as ₦500.

New CAC fees (effective October 1, 2025),
Voluntary striking-off: now ₦50,000 (small companies) and ₦100,000 (public companies), double or quadruple the previous rates

Many of these new charges target post-incorporation services, meaning more costs for entrepreneurs even after they’re up and running.

While the Buhari era’s ease-of-business reform gave us hope, now the Tinubu admin is essentially saying: “Thanks for building, but let us raise your rent.” It makes the phrase “ease of doing business” look like a cruel joke.

The Buhari’s government, in its many flaws, will be remembered for making business registration cheaper and easier. Meanwhile, the Tinubu government is setting records for how fast “good ideas” can be buried under steep fees and digital headaches.

At this rate, maybe we should officially rename this administration’s mantra from Ease of Doing Business to Ease of Doing Frustration.

You can’t talk about tax compliance without the percentage of the population that are gainfully employed.

helinues:
Is it the government that are killing people or neighbors fighting and killing themselves?

My friend Helinues, I’m sure you didn’t read this before you commented. Try and read first and come up with your argument.

If this is not wickedness, then what is? In just two years, this government has turned life in Nigeria into a daily horror show. They call it reform. Nigerians call it what it really is: survival of the hungriest.

Let’s count the blows. First, they killed the fuel subsidy, the only cushion the poor had left. Then they hiked public school tuition, shutting out children of the masses from education, yet the education budget has not increased in real terms. In 2023 under Buhari’s government, the education sector got ₦1.08 trillion ($2.35 billion). Under Tinubu, the 2024 budget jumped to ₦1.54 trillion, but thanks to the collapsing naira, that’s barely $1.6 billion. In dollar terms, education funding actually went down ($2.35billion down to $$1.6billion) while tuition went up.

And instead of funding schools properly, what did they give us? Student loans, a trap dressed as opportunity. Why must parents borrow before sending their children to school? Why mortgage the future of our children because of government failure? Today, a civil servant who earns less than N100,000 is being turned into an “irresponsible parent” because he cannot pay his child’s fees without debt. Tomorrow, those same children after struggling through school will graduate into the same minimum-wage reality, only to start paying back loans that never should have existed in the first place.

Nobody is talking about the danger this debt system is planting in the future of our children. An entire generation is being set up to begin life already in chains. What kind of leadership mortgages tomorrow just to cover today’s failure?

But it didn’t stop there. Cooking gas? Up.
Electricity tariffs? Up. Customs duties? Up. Dollar rate? Through the roof. Taxes? Increased on every side. And now, after all this, they still have the audacity to add another fuel tax.

Name one thing this government hasn’t touched with an “increase” button in just two years. I’ll wait. But let me save you the trouble: the only thing they’ve managed to reduce is the value of our wages and the dignity of Nigerians.

Meanwhile, while everything else has been rising, only one thing has been reduced: the salaries of Nigerian workers. From over $100 in real value, earnings have been slashed down to the equivalent of $46. That’s not just a pay cut, that’s an insult to dignity.

And then they expect honesty. They expect people not to cut corners. They expect corruption not to thrive. Even the Bible warns about this:

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:8-9).

This isn’t leadership, it’s wickedness with a smile. Nigerians are not blind. We see the games. We feel the pain. And no amount of propaganda can convince a hungry man that his hunger is “reform.”

The truth is simple: this government has broken the people’s back. If they don’t change course, history will not remember them as reformers. It will remember them as tormentors.

Call it whatever you like, but Nigerians know the truth. This is not reform. This is punishment.


Oya, 30k laptop-and-tablet warriors, dinner is served. Come and do what you’re paid for, defend your oga with empty grammar.

qleap2all:
Nigerians are always resisting good government policies without deep Insight of the program and the future!
The 5% tax is not new at all! Let them close business if they can, the purpose of the tax is to control consumption!

I honestly don’t get your point. Are you actually trying to justify a 5% tax on fuel? Let’s break it down: the refinery (Dangote) will pay tax, the truck companies will pay tax, filling stations will pay tax, consumers will also pay the tax and on top of that, they’ve already paid income tax. Add VAT to the mix, and you still come here defending this madness? Either you’re being spoon-fed or you clearly don’t understand how real money is made. Or maybe you’re just one of those laptop warriors in the 30k brigade, paid to defend every bit of rubbish this government throws at us. I’ve never seen a single Nigerian who runs a genuine business or earns honest money stand up to defend them. Sadly, some other mugu in your WhatsApp group will still clap for this nonsense comment of yours.

I no longer have any form of respect or sympathy for these people. They deserve whatever misfortune that befalls them.

Exousiang01:
He was governor for 8 years, he couldn't end poverty in Kaduna state. As a matter of fact he had sons in the National Assembly while he was a sitting Governor and the both of them couldn't end poverty in even their local government.
I would even like to hear what people from Southern Kaduna have to say about this

So poverty eradication is suddenly the sacred duty of state governments? What a joke. Show us one governor past or present who has pulled off that miracle. You can’t, and you know it. Yet some dodoyo will still read your comment, clap like seals, and call it wisdom. That’s the real tragedy.

success1smyn:
Tambuwal did not become a betrayal suddenly. He has always been a betrayal. I have never like him I was a fan of Jonathan and PDP. Tinubu as a leader of one of the main opposition parties saw Tambuwal's ambition to become speaker against his party's arrangement as an opportunity to weaken the then ruling party and took the opportunity. And what happened in the house of representatives on that inauguration day in 2011 was the beginning of the fall of the PDP.

I’m not a fan of his, but let’s be real, if you team up with betrayal to chase your ambition, don’t act surprised when betrayal knocks on your door. Tinubu’s just getting a taste of his own recipe.

tunjijones:
Tambuwa is a serial betrayal.

The worst was when he betrayed wike during the PDP primaries in favor of Atiku, not minding the long time frienddhip he has had with wike. Na wetin turn wicked wike to rabid dog be dat.

Tambuwa is a northern bigot just like Atiku. El rufai is both Fulani bigot and islamic bigot.

…and suddenly, Tambuwa has now become a betrayer. But when he decamped to APC with PDP Representatives, he was a saint and national hero. Weldone sir

oluwaseyi0:
The North always play this game when a southerner is in power

They will keep mute when it's a Northern and try nonsense when it's southerner

I guess Tinubu is a northern too. Because he played a significant role in removing Jonathan from, a southern president from office

BERNIMOORE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjrjgAVJgFw

Throwback: Tambuwal rocks the Boat, Dealt the Deadliest blow on PDP in 2014 by defecting with 37 PDP Reps members to APC....to pave way for Gen Buhari's enthronement, Tambuwal has never hides his disdain for a southerner by always causing issues while a southerner is the president, this was not the case while Buhari was the president and could not do anything to defeat Boko haram or curb the inflation

Recently Aminu Tambuwal rejoin PDP but could not reverse the Lead he Gave to APC since 2014 by making APC the Majority in the House of Reps. it will be recalled that Aminu Tambuwal Destroyed PDP from the National Assembly by abusing the power and priviledge given to him to serve as the speaker house of Reps to betray PDP and swings the pendulum in Favor of APC till Today. internet does not forget

What is your point exactly? You forgot to mention the role Tinubu played in ousting a southern president.

Amudeneogu:
Nigeria should be no. 1 because the number of churches in Nigeria pass both USA and Brazil joined together, meanwhile, where is European countries that brought church to Nigeria and other African countries.?

I guess they meant registered churches

My only real regret is not accepting the chance to become a Rev. Fr. when I had it. Life would have been far simpler. women are just too complicated; they are like further math: full of variables and no solutions.

grandstar:
I find nothing wrong with it but the timing.

This will cost Tinubu votes, lots of votes if the opposition pounce on it.

The money would yield tge government about 600bn a year

Everything is wrong with it. Do you know how many taxes this government is imposing on the citizens? Even bank transaction fees alone is killing.

This is after they have taxed your income, taxed your bank transactions, even charged toil fees.

I’m yet to see the 30k naira defenders of nonsense to come and defend this. It seems their laptop and tablet is still booting. Let’s give them more time to boot

So what’s the real value now? Because the last I checked, this government is still secretly defending naira, not because they suddenly love Nigerians but they need a result like this to decide Nigerians.