In this report, VICTOR AYENI writes about how young daring Nigerians surmount a myriad of physical challenges, social barriers, and mental stress to achieve record-breaking feats through the Guinness World Records
For a while now, Nigerians have been gripped by a feverish frenzy to set world records, thereby coming up with good and incredulous ideas.
In a stunning display of precision and artistry, a medical doctor and visual artist, Adefemi Gbadamosi, popularly known as Fola David, shattered the Guinness World Record for the largest drawing on July 21.
Though the record he broke was yet to be ratified by the organisers of the GWR as of the time of filing this report, his extraordinary performance, which would etch his name in history when confirmed, left spectators in awe.
Born in Lagos, a city renowned for its lively artistic scenery and rich cultural heritage, David showed a strong interest in the arts and sciences from an early age.
After earning his medical degree, he never lost interest in art.
David was able to carve out a distinct and influential niche for himself by fusing his artistic talent with medical knowledge.
Setting out to break the record on July 16, inside the main bowl of the Onikan Stadium, Lagos, the 30-year-old, hyper-realism artist produced a massive artwork, spanning an impressive 850 square metres, and further expanded his artwork to a staggering 1,000 square metres.
David’s mammoth artwork has been noted to have surpassed the previous GWR of 629.98 square metres held by Ravi Soni from Rajasthan, India in 2021.
About the GWR
The GWR – originally called the Guinness Book of Records – is the ultimate authority on record-breaking achievements and chronicles human and natural world records.
Though the GWR started as an idea for a book of facts to solve arguments in the early 1950s, today, it is a global brand with offices in London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, and Dubai, with brand ambassadors and adjudicators around the world.
Individuals or groups are expected to submit proof of their extraordinary feats to the GWR team and go through a verification process to qualify for a world record listing.
However, David’s record-breaking artwork themed, “Unity in Diversity,” showcased the diverse Nigerian ethnic groups through their unique attire, culture, and artistic expressions.
During his endeavour, numerous celebrities and dignitaries visited him at the stadium to offer their support and witness his artistic feat firsthand.
Among them is the renowned Nigerian chef and GWR holder, Hilda Baci.
“Thank you all for the immense support. I had set out to break this record prepared for everything but now I realise it’s so much more intense. The glare from the white canvas, my legs, thighs, and back, my hands all hurting. It’s becoming a struggle to focus on creating the artwork.
“Despite all this, I learned something. I found new strength from all the positive energy and love that you have all been showing. It’s a real thing guys, I am actually being fuelled by you all and I am not about to let you down. Let’s keep it going, we do this together and we do this for Nigeria,” David wrote in an Instagram post on the first day of producing the art.
Amazing feats
Findings by Saturday PUNCH indicated that personal achievement, fame, competition, passion, interests, inspiration, legacy and in a few instances, mere adventure, are among the motivations that propel citizens to attempt to attain the feats benchmarked by the GWR.
On its official website, the GWR wrote, “Whether, in the form of a personal life-long dream, or a team attempt within a company of 5,000, the power of record-breaking is easy to see, and continues to inspire amazing feats and achievements every day, across the globe.”
Our correspondent learnt that between 2021 and 2024, about 11 Nigerians won the GWR, however, there have been dozens of competitors across the country, who displayed feats ranging from the sublime to the mundane, and the absurd.
One of the noteworthy feats occurred on April 20, 2024, when professional chess player, Tunde Onakoya, set a new GWR for the longest chess marathon after playing for 60 hours in New York.
Despite suffering from severe stomach pain and intense vomiting due to food poisoning during the event, the 29-year-old was unwavering in his determination, which earned him admiration and praise from far and wide.
While the official decision on Onakoya’s record-breaking attempt is still awaited, he revealed that he undertook the marathon intending to raise $1m for children’s education across Africa through his record effort.
Onakoya, who founded Chess in Slums Africa, began his journey to becoming a world-renowned chess master in Ikorodu, where he first learned the game as a child.
He further honed his skills in his secondary school’s chess club and began winning trophies.
During an interview with Zikoko, Onakoya said, “During my teenage years, we lived in a slum community called Isale Odo in Ikorodu. It was in Ikorodu that things got really bad for my dad. He had a danfo(commercial bus) which he used to lease out to drivers who would bring him an agreed amount.
“Sometimes, he would drive it himself. There were even days he’d be the conductor. Then his danfo ran into a series of problems and was no longer a source of income.
“I couldn’t start secondary school because my parents were too poor to raise school fees – my brother was still in primary school and they couldn’t afford to pay for the both of us.
“They didn’t want me to go to a public school, as they were notorious for their poor standards and cultism. And so while my mates were in JSS 2, I was wasting at home. It was during this time that I found chess.”
Talents in slums
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the Executive Director of Light Up Pearls Africa, Moses Okenla, explained that there are many talented people like Onakoya in slum communities who need to be supported to discover their abilities.
He said, “As someone who works in the social impact space, I’ve seen a lot of talent in these slum or underserved communities that might not have the best of resources or access to education, but you’ll see the talent that can shatter the world’s records from these places.
“A typical example is the popular footballer, Victor Osimhen, who grew up in a slum in Lagos. He started playing football in the slums and today, he’s one of the best strikers, not just in Africa but the world.
“Another example is Onakoya who grew up in a family of small means, but look at what he has done, raising money for children through chess in slums initiatives. With the children we work with at our foundation, you discover that so many of them are spatially talented and mathematically gifted.”
Okenla said his organisation recently held a STEM event for students at Makoko, the biggest slum in the state, and after seven weeks of training, the overall winner for the project was a girl, identified simply as Abigail.
“Now, Abigail has a bit of a challenge learning numeracy and calculations, but she is a creative girl. When that competition was held, her project in transforming won the best and she competed with other students from the state. There are many other examples of youths skilled in different aspects, including music and dancing.
“There are so many talents in the slums that society needs to do more to bring out and nurture and ensure that they achieve their potential and attain the highest points. If these talents are not guided, they will not become who they are supposed to be in life,” Okenla added.
Marathon twerking
In a rather extraordinary milestone, another talented individual, Babajide Adebanjo, broke the GWR for the longest duration of twerking which lasted three hours and 30 minutes in Lagos on January 14, 2024.
According to him, he took up the challenge to raise awareness about depression and the importance of mental health.
In a statement sent to his email, the record-keeping organisation confirmed that his January dancing marathon had officially earned him the title.
“We are beyond thrilled to announce that Guinness World Records have officially recognised our record-breaking achievement,” Adebanjo wrote on his TikTok, where he posted a video showing the acceptance email from the GWR.
“We’re incredibly proud to have set a new standard in twerking, and we couldn’t have done it without your energy, enthusiasm, and support,” he added.
72-hour nail painting
In May, a 19-year-old mother from Plateau State, Lisha Dachor, attempted to set a new GWR for the longest nail painting marathon by an individual.
At the event, dubbed a “nail-a-thon”, Dachor reportedly painted over 4,000 artificial nails in 72 hours.
In a post on her Facebook page on May 2, she wrote, “Breaking barriers and setting records! Honoured to have set a new milestone in the world of nail art with the longest marathon painting of artificial nails by an individual. Grateful for the journey and the incredible support.”
In an interview, Dachor disclosed that she aimed to use her record attempt to shine a positive spotlight on her state and change the narrative about teen mothers like herself.
“I want to give people hope, especially single mothers because many people don’t think we have anything to offer,” she told the BBC.
With the event concluded, Dachor awaits the review of her attempt by the GWR, upon submission of evidence documenting her marathon nail-painting session.
Longest handmade wig
In a manner that would have put the fabled Rapunzel to shame, sometime in November 2023, a woman from Lagos, Helen Williams, also set a new GWR for the world’s longest handmade wig.
According to a GWR statement in May, Williams crafted a hairpiece that measures 3.65 metres wide and trails to the floor, which took over a month to create her record-breaking masterpiece.
The 31-year-old reportedly used over 800 bundles of auburn hair, spending an astonishing N4,138,200 to craft most of the wig by hand, with some sections completed using a sewing machine.
Williams said, “As a professional wig maker, I look forward to breaking many more records in the wig category. I enjoy taking on difficult tasks. It makes me a better person, and I learn new things.”
Record-breaking interview
In another attempt, a social media entrepreneur, who grew up in Onitsha, Anambra State, Clara Kronborg, broke the GWR for the longest interview.
Kronborg, who lives in Marbella, Spain, shattered the record with an average time of 55 hours and 24 seconds, beating the previous record holder, Rob Oliver from the United States, who held an interview that lasted 37 hours and 44 minutes in 2022.
Speaking on the challenges she encountered during the attempt, Kronborg said her voice became “very hoarse and rusty”, but she avoided losing it by drinking lots of water.
“Even worse, my period started the same day, and I was already having intense menstrual cramps. At some point, I was literally dripping pee and period stains, but I persevered and kept my eyes on the goal. To anyone who ever reads this, once you find your purpose, go after it with everything you’ve got,” she told the GWR.
Fainting, temporary blindness
While several Nigerians have etched their names in the GWR for setting new records, not all citizens who attempted have been fortunate as some attempts were hampered by one health hazard or another.
For instance, Tembu Ebere, who, in 2023, attempted to break a GWR for crying for seven days (100 hours) revealed that he experienced temporary blindness during the cry-a-thon.
According to Ebere, during the challenge, he started experiencing headaches and had a swollen face and puffy eyes with the ultimate being the 45 minutes of blindness.
Similarly, a Lagos-based masseuse, Joyce Ijeoma, who in July 2023, set out to achieve a 72-hour longest body massage on individuals, collapsed when she reached 50 hours.
During the live coverage on July 4, Ijeoma fainted from exhaustion and had to stop the broadcast. The previous record, set by Alastair Galpin in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, was 25 hours and four minutes in 2015.
In his reaction, the co-founder of Priv Health, Dr Olusina Ajidahun, using his handle, wrote on X.com, “Sorry to hear about her (Ijeoma) fainting. But anyone trying to attempt a record that requires endurance needs a medical team on standby. If fatigue and stress are not managed healthily, it could become disastrous.”
Proposed kiss-a-thon
Barely two months after Baci’s GWR cooking feat, an upcoming music artiste in Ekiti State, identified as Sugartee, proposed a 72-hour kiss-a-thon billed for July 7, 2023.
The young musician had hoped to beat the previous GWR kiss of 58 hours, 35 minutes, 58 seconds. A Thai couple, Ekkachai and Lakasan Tiranarat, set the record on Valentine’s Day in 2022.
Reacting, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dayo Apata, warned against the feat, adding that anyone found guilty of promoting the kissing event would be jailed for three years.
In his response to the state government, Sugartee denied planning to hold the proposed kiss-a-thon stating that “if we’re both going to be sincere, if I had tagged it a sing-a-thon, it won’t get the publicity it has right now. People don’t tend to support good things easily.”
However, concerned by the rate at which people were indiscriminately attempting to break different records without securing necessary approval from the organising body, on July 12, the GWR, on its verified handle on X.com, wrote, “Please, enough with the record-a-thons. We love the record-a-thon enthusiasm but we would suggest getting a record title approved by our team before attempting these marathon records!”
Earlier in July, the GWR advised prospective record breakers to properly confirm with their team before attempting to break any world record.
“Polite reminder that you should probably have your world record title confirmed by our team before attempting it,” GWR tweeted.
Commenting on the GWR trend, a sociologist, Adekunle Kukehin, described it as an obsession that peaked last year due to the allure of monetary benefits.
Kukehin said, “We already have a thriving stunt industry in our creative sector. Nigeria has many content creators and this social trend spread to the GWR competition which made it peak last year.
“As a result, the lines were blurred between people who were truly skilled and talented and those who were lacking in core ideas of what they wanted to do but were just seeking the allure of fame and monetary benefits. They were also those who wanted to abjure the laid down processes. That was why the organisation had to issue a statement.
“This year was slightly different in this regard, there appears to be some moderation in the obsession, and it should remain so. Furthermore, when you look at it, Nigeria is a hub of many talented people, but due to a lack of social and financial support, their voices are unheard and their abilities are obscured. If individuals can be allowed to explore their uniqueness, we will see more record-breaking feats.”
Social, mental obstacles
In an interview with our correspondent, the founder of QDance Company, Qudus Onikeku, noted that the Nigerian school system was not adequate for his individuality.
He said he had to return to studying art courses when he left the country to gain the flexibility that enhanced his creative performances.
Onikeku added, “I think because of the way things were organised from my childhood, it caused me to think outside because the box that was presented to me wasn’t adequate. So I was already forced to think of how I can make this thing happen even if I do not go the official route – the well-designed route that has been laid down for all of us. I think my creativity and my capacity for creativity came from the necessity to decide outside that reality.
“For many creatives, there are psychological challenges and sociological challenges with the way society has been designed. There was a kind of space that was created for dancers such that when you go to an event, everybody is already looking at you like you are a riff-raff or someone who has nothing to do. I always tell people ‘I know you met many dancers that dropped out of school, I stepped out of school, I didn’t drop out, because that is not where I want to be. I knew precisely where I wanted to be.
“Now, it’s easier for me, but I still meet people at the airport or on the plane, and they ask, what your profession is and you tell them it’s dancing, and then they are like ‘wow, and you are here? So I know there is a stereotypical way that has been made to see dancers in this part of the world. Luckily for me, I managed to scale this because I don’t do reality shows, you won’t see me in music videos, and you won’t see me dancing behind some politicians or for a promotion or one brand or the other.”
Also speaking with Saturday PUNCH, a mental health expert, Kelechi Okwaraji, identified depression and anxiety as two of the major mental health issues that clouded their gifted abilities.
Okwaraji said, “According to UNICEF, one in six Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 24 surveyed experience mental health issues such as depression, have little interest in doing things, or are worried, nervous or anxious. Many young Nigerians also struggle with alcoholism.
“When you take a look at what is happening in our country today, we are battling with many issues cutting across economic hardship. A lot of Nigerians are worried about the future and are depressed and these can constitute certain obstacles to creativity.
“There is still a lot of stigma attached to mental health. Furthermore, we lack much awareness and sensitisation about these issues, many are not comfortable talking about them. This is why I take it upon myself to help citizens do this because for many people to discover their creative abilities, their mental health needs ought to be met.”
GWR: Unleashing youth creativity
Commenting on the record-breaking feats attained by Nigerians in the GWR, an entrepreneur and personal development enthusiast, Tosin Omas-Anigboro, told Saturday PUNCH that the ambitious and enthusiastic nature of citizens has been a propelling force.
She explained, “I believe that the desire and courage of Nigerian youths to break existing records and set new ones despite the challenging circumstances is extremely commendable. Not only did they attempt to set new records, they did that in extremely challenging times. You see, these great feats serve as an ignition to awaken sleeping giants to discover their hidden potential.
“Oh, what a time to be alive! This is a time to see the lives of young people serving as a testament to the truth that it’s possible to fulfil purpose and dreams. From their journeys to their results, you see the power of heavy investments made in acquiring relevant skills, and their drive to keep going no matter how hard it gets and it’s clear that they chose to emanate purpose.
“To excel in contemporary societies, you must stick closely with your purpose because your purpose is what will guide you; it’s the reason behind your being and the dreams you have. Setting new world records and breaking new ones is a reality and it’s a wonderful thing. Young people should use these as motivation and life examples that it’s possible to achieve great things with purpose, acquiring the right skills and resilience.”