— Taylor, Team Nigeria High Performance Director
From ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja
Angie Taylor, for those who don’t know her, is the America-born High Performance Director engaged by the President Goodluck Jonathan government through Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi as Minister of Sports after the woeful performance of Team Nigeria in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Fielding questions from our correspondent recently, she addressed several controversial issues surrounding her contract, her jumbo pay-package, unimpressive performance of Team Nigeria in Rio 2016 Olympics and her desperation and wish to marry a Nigerian, whose men she boldly described as romantic.
Team Nigeria’s performances in Rio
Honestly, I was disappointed with our outing. It is not necessarily with the form of our athletes but the way the system has been set up.
Nigeria has talents. If you look at athletes that are of Nigerian heritage but foreign-based by blood competing for countries like Bahrain, USA, Spain, Jamaica or Britain, they are performing very well, a confirmation that it is not about the talent.
What makes the difference is the countries truly supporting the athletes in terms of giving them not only financial help but also medical, training, recovery, facilities, coaching and all those things that are very critical and important to perform at a big stage like Olympic Games. I think that is probably the disappointment that I have.
I know we have the talents but unless we put in place a system that can support these athletes on what they need on daily basis not just waiting to have a two months training camp, we are probably going to continue to have the same unimpressive result.
We have to decide what we want to do as a nation, country and ministry because I know we have the talent.
Her input mattering so much
I think my input definitely does matter because I have been in successful situation with US for a very long time. If you look at the medal count, US won 121 medals out of the 558 athletes it took to compete at the Olympics.
Having been in that successful system, my goal is to try to take that information and experience and make it free to Nigerians but if you don’t want change, don’t want to take advice or suggestion from people that have been successful there is nothing I could do.
Lack of free hand to operate and the challenges encountered
Well, for me, it is helpful I was an athlete, a coach and equally worked in the ministry in the US. I am going to be sympathetic to all parties. There has never been an instant that the athletes come to me and if I give suggestions on how an issue should be managed, I would think that they should take the information but there are things we have not been able to do.
I tried to do my very best to work with the athletes and be very much involved with them anytime we have camping.
Relegating her to logistics
I tried my best to let them know that I am not behind the scene person. I tried my best to let the coaches and athletes know that they have my undivided support and there is nothing I don’t do for them. However, the truth is that I was relegated to logistics though I am also good at that and I am okay with that.
Language barrier with the athletes
There is no truth in the claim that language is a barrier between the athletes and myself. They relate with me very well despite my position as a director. The worse that can happen is for them to speak Pidgin English while I speak English. Don’t forget that even blind and deaf people communicate.
Sexual harassment in camp
Whenever we are dealing with the athletes particularly the female athletes, we must ensure that we keep everyone in a situation where they will always be safe. There should always be gender sensitivity. Even if you have male coaches, there must be female administrators around to protect them from allegations that may be true or false.
As a coach, I always ensured that other people are around each time I have meeting with the athletes. I always avoid a one-on-one meeting with the athletes.
Deepest regret coming to Nigeria
It should be that I see so many abundant talents in Nigeria that I wanted to ensure we didn’t miss out on them. I want to ensure that we harvest and use them for this Rio Olympics and equally give them future by sending them outside the country.
My friends from the US had requested I send them good athletes but my regret is not been able to identify and raise them for those purposes. Yes, I am very proud that I have been able to empower one 17-year old lady who travelled to US while we were in Rio, but my regret is that I have not been able to do more than that. I have not been able to identify, nurture, cultivated those talents and empower them.
Initially, my people back home would ask me how I am coping but I now see myself as a Nigerian, I eat the food and there is no food I have not heard or eaten. I have eaten Okro, vebetable and Ewedu soup. In fact, I started gaining wait after few months of my stay in Nigeria because of the food that I had to slow down on some of them.
Her fondest memory
It should be when I arrived Nigeria and saw Marry Onyali among other people at the airport waiting to take me to my resident and I feel the country is home for me. Growing up as a black American I have always felt Africa is my home and I can finally be among my people.
The anger over her pay package
My position as a high performance director is no different from what is obtainable elsewhere in the world. The salary is the same because of the nature of the job. I understand the protest and anger from people in Nigeria because of the economic situation but the good thing is that I am not a selfish person.
I have been able to bless so many people in this country with my blessings. I did not enjoy the pay package alone. There was no one who came to me that I did not help. I assisted all around me because I know that to who much is given much is expected. I have a big family to take care of.
Her impression about Nigerian men
(Laughs), the impression I had was that some of them are aggressive which made me very passive. But the truth is that I like Nigerian men and all my family were concerned about my having Nigerian boyfriend or Nigerian husband and I have told them maybe or maybe not. I am an African, I have a whole bunch of African men and I have to find myself a husband before I leave Nigeria.
I don’t know when the wedding will be because I am still searching but the problem is that I am a workaholic who does not have time for romance. People call and email me at midnight to tell me to go and sleep.
I get worried about things a lot and when we were late in certain things like the issues with customs handling the kits for Team Nigeria for the Rio, I was not happy that it arrived late. My status, job and pay package should not intimidate Nigerian men.