'I am dying in silence' - Father of Super Eagles defender makes emotional appeal to reconnect after 20-Year estrangement

Kingsley Ughelumba, the father of Nigerian international and Fulham defender Calvin Bassey, has once again publicly appealed for reconciliation with his four sons after nearly 20 years of estrangement.

In an emotional interview circulating on social media, Ughelumba expressed deep anguish over the prolonged separation, attributing the breakdown in family relations to unresolved marital issues with his former wife, Ebere Bassey.

“I am dying in silence,” Ughelumba said, adding that his repeated attempts to reconnect have been unsuccessful despite his continued hope for reconciliation.

Ughelumba, who is from Anambra State, explained that his three eldest sons, Elvis, Mathew, and Calvin, were born in Italy, while the youngest, Michael, was born in Ireland. The family later relocated to London before marital disputes 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 recounted.

According to him, his only direct contact with the children since then occurred in 2017, 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,” he said, claiming communication stopped again shortly after Calvin’s professional breakthrough.

Ughelumba detailed multiple attempts to see Calvin as his football career progressed. He said he travelled from London to Leicester in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in a bid to see his son while he was at Leicester City.

“I wasn’t looking for him because he was a footballer; I wanted to see my first son,” he said, adding that a brief phone call was facilitated through the club.

He described the encounter as emotionally painful, claiming Calvin’s attitude changed after speaking with his mother during the meeting.

Ughelumba also revealed that he travelled to Côte d’Ivoire during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and later to Abuja in further attempts to reconnect, but was unsuccessful.

Calvin Bassey, rose through Leicester City’s academy before gaining prominence at Rangers, where he won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup. His performances earned him a €23 million move to Ajax in 2022, followed by a €22 million transfer to Fulham a year later.

The defender made his Super Eagles debut in March 2022 and has since earned 43 caps, featuring prominently in Nigeria’s last two AFCON campaigns.

Earlier in his career, Bassey was listed under his father’s surname, Ughelumba, before adopting his mother’s surname. He has previously spoken about the decision, crediting his mother for raising him and his brothers.

“Since I was six, it has been mum and us boys. 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,” Bassey once said.

However, Calvin Bassey has not publicly responded to his father’s latest appeal.