Calvin Bassey’s father, Kingsley Ughelumba, has once again made an emotional appeal, saying he is still desperate to reunite with his four children — including the Super Eagles defender — after more than 18 years of separation.
Reopening a story he first shared publicly two years ago, Ughelumba spoke of a long and painful estrangement that he says began after a fallout with the children’s mother, Ebere Bassey. This time, his message was even more haunting, as he described himself as “dying in silence” while still holding on to hope for reconciliation.
The Anambra State native explained that his first three sons — Elvis, Mathew and Calvin — were born in Italy, while his youngest, Michael, was born in Ireland. According to him, the family lived together briefly in London before marital problems led to their separation.
“We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work and before I returned, she had left with the children,” he said in a viral social media interview.
Ughelumba claimed the next time he heard from their mother was in 2017, when Nigerian passports were needed for the children. He said he provided all required documents and paid for their flights, adding that when they stayed with him at the time, he never spoke badly about their mother.
“She has muted me since he signed for a football club,” he added.
Bassey, who came through Leicester City’s youth system, rose to prominence after joining Rangers in 2020, winning both the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup. He later moved to Ajax in a then-record deal for the Scottish club before signing for Fulham in 2023. The 26-year-old has since become a key figure for Nigeria, earning 43 caps and featuring prominently at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Before his rise to senior football, Bassey was often listed under his father’s surname, Ughelumba. However, as his career progressed, he adopted his mother’s surname and has repeatedly credited her for supporting his journey.
“He’s just not in my life — we lived with him, but that was when I was really young,” Bassey once said. “Since I was six, it has been mum and us boys. I knew that if I got the chance to put my name on the back of a shirt, I wanted it to be my mum’s name — my way of saying thank you.”
Ughelumba also shared several failed attempts to reconnect since 2020, including a trip from London to Leicester during the COVID-19 period. He recalled briefly speaking with Calvin before the encounter ended abruptly.
“I wasn’t looking for him because he was a footballer; I wanted to see my first son,” he said.
He further revealed that he travelled from Italy to Abidjan during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and later to Abuja, hoping to see his son once more — but again, without success.
“Since then, I have been dying in silence,” he said. “I don’t have any problems with my children. Even if I am a devil, I can’t be a devil where my children are.”
As of the time of this report, the Fulham defender had not responded publicly to his father’s latest claims.
