Nigeria's Super Eagles play their Rwandan counterparts, Amavubi in Kigali on February 29 in a 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifying.
Mikel has been out injured for Chelsea since December's 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur and Keshi said he decided to leave out the 24-year-old to catch up with his fitness level at Stamford Bridge.
The midfielder was sidelined for seven weeks by a muscle abductor injury and missed nine matches but was restored to the Chelsea starting 11 last weekend in the FA Cup game against Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge.
Keshi, 50, specified that he is a "father" figure to the 24-year-old Chelsea star who cannot descend to having a row with the player.
“This camp is a national team’s camp of love and not of hate. How can a father like me quarrel with a son like Mikel?" Keshi queried.
"The young man is full of talent and is a player who has several years left in him. But he was just coming back from an injury lay-off and we thought it wise to leave him to settle down before we call on him again to come and fight for his fatherland.”
Last week, Keshi named 11 foreign-based players and left out some top players such as Kalu Uche, Brown Ideye, Chinedu Obasi and Mikel.
© SuperSport.com
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