Kingsley Ughelumba, the father of Super Eagles and Fulham defender Calvin Bassey, has once again made a public and emotional appeal to reconnect with his son and other children after nearly 18 years of separation.
Two years ago, Ughelumba first spoke publicly about being estranged from his children. Now, he has renewed his plea, describing his struggle as “dying in silence” and expressing a desperate hope for reconciliation.
Hailing from Ihiala Local Government Area in Anambra State, Ughelumba shared that his first three sons — Elvis, Mathew, and Calvin — were born in Italy, while his youngest, Michael, was born in Ireland. The family briefly lived together in London before marital issues caused the separation.
“We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work, and before I returned, she had left with the children,” Ughelumba revealed in an interview cited by Punch.
He added that his first contact after the split came in 2017 when his children needed Nigerian passports. “I sent all my documents and bought all their flight tickets. When they stayed with me, I never told them their mum had done anything to me. But since Calvin signed for a football club, she has muted me,” he said.
Despite this brief reunion, the relationship soon fell apart again. Ughelumba lamented, “I have not seen my children for a long time.”
He recounted several failed attempts to reconnect since 2020. “During COVID, I drove from London to Leicester where Calvin was playing. I wasn’t looking for him as a footballer — I wanted to see my first son. But I didn’t have their numbers, and their mother had blocked access,” he said.
During the visit, the club helped him contact Calvin using a childhood nickname, “Biggy.” Although Calvin initially responded warmly, the interaction ended abruptly after he called his mother, telling his father to leave.
Ughelumba also tried reconnecting during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, traveling from Italy to Abidjan to see his son. Despite support from journalists and the football federation, he was again unable to meet him.
“Since then, I have been dying in silence,” he said. “I have no problems with my children — it’s just their mum that made things difficult. Even if I were a devil, I couldn’t be one around my children.”
Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey has continued his footballing journey. In July 2022, he joined Dutch side Ajax for a then-record €23 million transfer fee, before moving to Fulham a year later for €22 million. Since making his Nigeria debut in March 2022 against Ghana, he has earned 43 caps and established himself as a key defender for the Super Eagles.
Bassey has consistently used his mother’s surname professionally, acknowledging her sacrifices in raising him and his siblings. “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,” he once explained.
This heartfelt story highlights the emotional challenges of family estrangement, even amidst international fame and success. Kingsley Ughelumba’s plea remains a reminder of the enduring bonds of parenthood and the hope for reconciliation.
