Dying in Silence”: Calvin Bassey’s father begs to reunite after 18 Years

Calvin Bassey’s father, Kingsley Ughelumba, has once again appealed for help to reunite with his four children after being separated from them for more than 18 years.

Speaking emotionally, Ughelumba said the separation followed marital problems between him and the children’s mother, Ebere Bassey. He explained that he has had little or no contact with his children since then, including Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey.

Ughelumba said 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 the marriage broke down.

According to him, his wife left with the children while he was at work and cut off communication. He said she only contacted him again in 2017 when the children needed Nigerian passports.

At that time, he sent his documents and paid for their flight tickets. He claimed that after Calvin became a professional footballer, communication stopped again.

Calvin Bassey began his football career at Leicester City before joining Rangers in 2020, where he won major trophies.

In 2022, he moved to Ajax for a record fee, and later signed for Fulham in 2023. He has since become a regular player for Nigeria’s national team.

Ughelumba said that in 2020, during the COVID-19 period, he travelled from London to Leicester to see his son but was unable to reconnect properly.

He recalled meeting Calvin briefly but said the meeting ended badly after Calvin contacted his mother.

He also said he travelled to Côte d’Ivoire during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and later went to Abuja in another attempt to see his son, but without success.

Ughelumba described himself as “dying in silence” and said he still hopes for reconciliation. He insisted that he has no problem with his children and only wants peace and forgiveness.

Calvin Bassey has previously said he grew up mainly with his mother and chose to use her surname as a way of appreciating her support.

As of the time of this report, he has not responded to his father’s latest claims.