Kingsley Ughelumba, father of Super Eagles and Fulham defender Calvin Bassey, has again appealed for reconciliation with his son and his other children after nearly 18 years of separation.
Mr Ughelumba, who is from Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, said he has been estranged from his children following the breakdown of his marriage.
He said his first three sons, Elvis, Mathew and Calvin, were born in Italy, while his youngest son, Michael, was born in Ireland.
According to him, the family later lived briefly in London before marital issues led to their separation.
“We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work, and before I returned, she had left with the children,” Ughelumba said in an interview.
He said contact was re-established in 2017 when the children needed Nigerian passports.
“She reached out when my children needed Nigerian passports. I sent all my documents and bought their flight tickets. When they stayed with me, I never told them their mum did anything to me. She muted me after Calvin signed for a football club,” he said.
Ughelumba said communication later broke down again and he has not had regular access to his children since then.
“I have not seen my children for a long time,” he said.
He recounted attempts to reconnect with Calvin in 2020 during the COVID-19 period, when the footballer was linked with Leicester City.
“I drove from London to Leicester. I wasn’t looking for him because he was a footballer; I wanted to see my son. I didn’t have their phone numbers because everything had changed,” he said.
Ughelumba said the club contacted Calvin, who responded when staff used a childhood nickname.
“I spoke to him and he gave me an address. When I got there and he saw me, he called his mum. After that, 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,” he said.
He also said he travelled from Italy to Abidjan during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in another attempt to see his son.
“A journalist helped link me with the football federation. I got tickets and watched Nigeria vs Angola. After that, I went to Abuja to try again, but I still didn’t see him,” he said.
Ughelumba said the situation has taken a toll on him.
“Since then, I have been dying in silence. I don’t have problems with my children. Even if I am a devil, I can’t be a devil where my children are,” he said.
Calvin Bassey began his senior career at Rangers before moving to Ajax in 2022 in a €23m transfer.
He joined Fulham in 2023 for €22m.
The defender made his Nigeria debut in March 2022 and has earned 43 caps.
Earlier in his career, Bassey was listed under his father’s surname, Ughelumba, but later adopted his mother’s surname.
He has publicly credited his mother for his upbringing and career support.
“He’s just not in my life. Since I was six, it has been mum and us boys,” Bassey once said while explaining his choice of surname on his jersey.
