Kingsley Ughelumba, the father of Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey, has made another emotional public appeal, seeking reconciliation with his four children after an 18-year estrangement.
Ughelumba, a native of Ihiala in Anambra State, attributed the painful separation to a marital rift with the children’s mother, Ebere Bassey, stating he has been “dying in silence.”
In a recent viral interview, he recounted, “We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work and before I returned, she had left with the children.” He claimed the last contact was in 2017 for passport processing and that he has been cut off since Calvin’s professional football career took off.
The 26-year-old Fulham defender, formerly of Rangers and Ajax, has consistently credited his mother for his upbringing. In past statements, Bassey said, “Since I was six, it has been mum and us boys… I wanted it to be my mum’s name—my way of saying thank you.”
Ughelumba detailed failed attempts to reconnect, including a trip to Leicester City during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and a journey to Abidjan during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He claimed that during the Leicester visit, Calvin initially responded to a childhood nickname but became upset after speaking with his mother.
“He said he didn’t want to see me again and drove off,” the father lamented.
Calvin Bassey, who has 43 caps for Nigeria, was yet to respond to these latest claims at the time of reporting. The defender legally changed his surname from Ughelumba to Bassey early in his career as a tribute to his mother.
