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Calvin Bassey’s Father Appeals for Reconciliation After 18 Years of Separation
Calvin Bassey’s father, Kingsley Ughelumba, has renewed his emotional appeal for reconciliation with his four children, including the Super Eagles defender, saying he has been cut off from their lives for more than 18 years.
Ughelumba, who hails from Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, reopened the long-running family issue in a viral interview, describing himself as “dying in silence” and still hoping for a chance to reunite with his sons. He blamed the prolonged estrangement on unresolved marital issues between himself and the children’s mother, Ebere Bassey.
According to Ughelumba, his first three sons — Elvis, Mathew and Calvin — were born in Italy, while the youngest, Michael, was born in Ireland. The family later lived briefly in London before separating.
“We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work and before I returned, she had left with the children,” he said.
He claimed that contact was only re-established in 2017 when his children needed Nigerian passports.
“She reached out when they needed Nigerian passports. I sent all my documents and bought all their flight tickets. When they stayed with me then, I never told them their mum did anything to me. She has muted me since he signed for a football club.”
Bassey, a graduate of Leicester City’s youth system, rose to prominence after joining Rangers in 2020, where he won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup. He later moved to Ajax for €23 million in 2022 — a record sale for Rangers at the time — before signing for Fulham in 2023 for €22 million.
The 26-year-old made his Super Eagles debut in March 2022 and has since earned 43 caps, becoming a key figure at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Ughelumba revealed that earlier in Bassey’s career, the defender was listed under his surname, Ughelumba, before later adopting his mother’s name — a decision Bassey has publicly explained as a tribute to her support.
“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.”
The estranged father also recounted several failed attempts to reconnect since 2020, including a visit to Leicester during the COVID-19 period.
“When I got to Leicester City, the club welcomed me and called Calvin. There was a name I used to call him when he was small — ‘Biggy’. When they called him that, he responded immediately,” Ughelumba said.
He claimed the meeting ended abruptly after Bassey contacted his mother.
“He told me to say whatever I wanted to say and leave. He said he didn’t want to see me again and drove off.”
Ughelumba further revealed that he travelled from Italy to Côte d’Ivoire during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in another attempt to see his son, but was unsuccessful.
“Since then, I have been dying in silence. I don’t have any problems with my children — it’s just their mum. Even if I am a devil, I can’t be a devil where my children are,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, Calvin Bassey had not publicly responded to his father’s renewed claims.
