A first-half strike from the Fulham midfielder ended the Super Eagles' three-game unbeaten run against the Indomitable Lions
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa scored the only goal as Cameroon defeated Nigeria 1-0 in an international friendly match on Friday.
Gernot Rohr's side started the encounter on the front foot with Paul Onuachu coming close to breaking the deadlock in the third minute.
His header was parried by goalkeeper Simon Omossola and some moments later, he tried another attempt but it went wide of the target.
Despite Nigeria's constant push for an opener, Cameroon opened the scoring through Zambo Anguissa's strike in the 37th minute.
Nigeria struggled to grab an equaliser but the goal ended up proving to be the difference between the two sides.
Despite the injury crisis that hit his initial 28-man squad, Rohr fielded a strong starting XI with William Troost-Ekong wearing the captain's armband while Kano Pillars forward Ahmed Musa was on the bench.
Later in the second half, Abraham Marcus, Terem Moffi and Valentine Ozornwafor were handed their international debuts after replacing Alex Iwobi, Paul Onuachu and Troost-Ekong.
It was the first time Gernot Rohr's men suffered a defeat against the Indomitable Lions after going unbeaten in their last three matches.
They stopped them from qualifying from the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia with a 4-0 win at home before a 1-1 draw at the Yaounde.
The Super Eagles followed it up with a 3-2 victory at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt that knocked Cameroon out of the competition.
Nigeria have an opportunity to make up for Friday's defeat when they tackle Antonio Conceicao's men again in another friendly match on Tuesday.