Nwabali, who cemented his place as Nigeria's number one during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, faced scrutiny after a shaky performance against Lesotho. 

His mistakes nearly cost the Super Eagles a crucial 2-1 victory against Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Following his error, Elijah has called for calm amidst criticism of Super Eagles goalkeeper, urging head coach Eric Chelle to keep faith with the shot-stopper despite his recent errors.

Elijah believes Nwabali's past consistency should not be overlooked because of a single off-day, describing him as the team's "saving hand" in previous matches.

"They should not drop him. He has been our saving hand for many matches; they should not crucify him for the mistake he made against Lesotho," Elijah stated in an interview.

While acknowledging the severity of the errors, Elijah expressed confidence in Nwabali's ability to learn from the experience. 

"Although they were costly mistakes for a goalkeeper of Nwabali's calibre. With his experience and pedigree, he is not supposed to make such mistakes," he admitted. 

"But I will tell you he has experience, and with what happened against Lesotho, I am very sure he will be more careful. For me, he is a very good goalkeeper, and I think we should go on with him."