Footballer, Bassey’s estranged father has resurfaced with another emotional appeal, two years after first speaking publicly about being cut off from his children, saying he is still holding on to hope for reconciliation and is now “dying in silence.”
The man, a native of Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, explained that his first three sons, Elvis Ughelumba, Mathew Ughelumba and Calvin, were born in Italy, while his youngest, Michael, was born in Ireland.
He said the family briefly lived together in London before marital problems led to their separation.
Bassey’s father speaks on reason for their separation
According to him, the situation escalated suddenly after a disagreement with his wife.
“We had husband-and-wife arguments. I went to work and before I returned, she had left with the children,” Ughelumba said during a social media interview that has since gone viral.
He added that contact between them only resumed years later, when his children needed Nigerian passports.
“She only reached out in 2017 when my children 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. She has muted me since he signed for a football club.”
Calvin Bassey’s football career trajectory
Calvin Bassey, who came through Leicester City’s youth system, rose to prominence after joining Rangers on a free transfer in July 2020. He went on to make 65 appearances for the Scottish club, winning both the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup.
In July 2022, he completed a €23m move to Ajax, a deal that was then the most expensive in Rangers’ history. He later returned to England in 2023, signing for Fulham in a €22m transfer.
The 26-year-old defender made his Super Eagles debut in March 2022 during Nigeria’s World Cup play-off against Ghana and has since earned 43 caps, becoming a regular figure at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Bassey on why he adopted his mother’s surname
Earlier in his career, Bassey was listed under his father’s surname, Ughelumba, but later adopted his mother’s surname and has repeatedly credited her for standing by him throughout his football journey.
“He’s just not in my life — we lived with him, but that was when I was really young,” Bassey once said when asked about his father.
“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.”
Ughelumba, visibly emotional, also spoke about several unsuccessful attempts to reconnect with his children since 2020.
“I have not seen my children for a long time,” he said.
He recalled driving from London to Leicester during the COVID-19 lockdown in a bid to see his son.
“During COVID in 2020, I drove all the way from London to Leicester when Calvin was playing there. I wasn’t looking for him because he was a footballer; I wanted to see my first son, but I didn’t have access because their mother had changed everything. I didn’t have their numbers or anything.”
He said Leicester City officials helped facilitate contact at the time.
“When I got to Leicester City, the club welcomed me and called Calvin. There was a name I used to call him when he was small—‘Biggy’. When they called him that, he responded immediately.”
“I spoke to him and he gave me an address. When I got there and he saw me, he called his mum and afterwards he changed. He got upset and told me to say whatever I wanted to say and leave. He said he didn’t want to see me again and drove off.”
Ughelumba further disclosed that he travelled from Italy to Côte d’Ivoire during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in another attempt to reconnect.
“During Nigeria vs Angola, a journalist helped link me with the football federation. They gave me tickets and I watched the match. After that, I went to Abuja to try again, but I still didn’t see him,” he said.
Reflecting on his ordeal, he added, “Since then, I have been dying in silence. I don’t have any problems with my children, it’s just their mum that made me feel bad. Even if I am a devil, I can’t be a devil where my children are.”
As of the time of this report, the Fulham defender has not reacted publicly to his father’s claims.