The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has declared that Christians will continue preaching in commercial buses across the country despite the proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Corps Act seeking to prohibit the practice.
President of the PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, made the declaration during a church service on Sunday, insisting that no law would stop Christians from carrying out what he described as their God-given mandate to evangelise.
His comments came amid growing opposition by Christian organisations to the Federal Road Safety Corps Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes a ₦50,000 fine for anyone convicted of preaching, hawking or trading inside commercial vehicles.
Addressing worshippers, Oke criticised the National Assembly over the proposed legislation, saying lawmakers were focusing on religious preaching instead of tackling worsening insecurity across the country.
“We will preach in buses. We will preach everywhere because you are making evil decrees. We will rather obey God than man,” the cleric declared.
He argued that the gospel must continue to be preached regardless of any legal restrictions, maintaining that Christians could not abandon what they believed to be a divine assignment.
The PFN president also questioned the lawmakers’ priorities, asking why the National Assembly appeared more concerned about preaching in buses than confronting the activities of kidnappers, bandits, killers and rapists.
According to him, the country’s worsening security challenges deserve greater legislative attention than attempts to regulate religious evangelism in commercial vehicles.
Oke warned that members of the fellowship would resist any effort to enforce the proposed restriction, insisting that Christians would continue preaching despite the legislation.
The controversy follows public reactions to the Federal Road Safety Corps Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to strengthen road safety regulations by prohibiting activities considered capable of distracting drivers or endangering passengers inside commercial vehicles.
However, the Senate has clarified that the provision against preaching in commercial vehicles is not a fresh introduction.
In a statement issued by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in the Office of the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, the upper chamber explained that the prohibition has existed in the Federal Road Safety Commission Establishment Act and the National Road Traffic Regulations since 2007.
The Senate said the 2026 amendment merely retained the existing provision as part of broader efforts to improve safety on Nigerian roads.
Despite the clarification, opposition to the proposed legislation has continued to mount.
The Christian Association of Nigeria and the Organisation of African Instituted Churches have also called for a review of the provision, expressing concerns that it could infringe on constitutional rights to freedom of religion and expression.
The bill is yet to complete the legislative process, with debates over its implications for religious freedom and public safety expected to continue in the coming weeks.
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