Christian organisations have criticised a proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Act that would make preaching inside commercial vehicles an offence, urging President Bola Tinubu to withhold assent to the bill.
The Senate recently passed the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to improve road safety by prohibiting activities considered capable of distracting drivers, including hawking, trading and preaching in commercial buses. The legislation is awaiting presidential approval.
Under the proposed law, anyone found guilty of preaching, hawking or trading inside a commercial vehicle could face a fine of up to N50,000, a prison term of six months, or both. The bill also introduces penalties for motorists who refuse to cooperate with FRSC officials during roadside breath tests carried out on reasonable suspicion.
Reacting to the development, the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) said while it supports efforts to improve road safety, it believes the inclusion of preaching among prohibited activities raises constitutional concerns.
In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Rev. Evans Onyemara, the council argued that evangelism is protected under the constitutional rights to freedom of religion and expression and should not be treated in the same category as commercial activities.
The council noted that for many years, Christians have used public transport to share brief messages of faith, encouragement and hope with willing passengers, insisting that any attempt to restrict such activities should undergo broad constitutional review.
The CCN also faulted the proposed sanctions against hawkers, saying the measure fails to address the underlying causes of street trading, including poverty, unemployment and the country’s economic challenges.
According to the organisation, many Nigerians resort to hawking as a means of survival and should not be punished without government efforts to tackle the socio-economic conditions driving the practice.
It urged the government to consider alternatives such as creating designated trading areas, expanding economic empowerment programmes and engaging stakeholders before implementing the legislation.
Similarly, the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) appealed to President Tinubu not to sign the bill in its current form, arguing that criminalising peaceful religious preaching could infringe on fundamental constitutional freedoms.
OAIC President, Israel Akinadewo, said equating the preaching of the Gospel with commercial hawking was inappropriate, stressing that religious expression remains a protected right under Nigeria’s Constitution.
The association maintained that bus evangelism has long served as a platform for promoting moral values, hope, repentance and peaceful coexistence across the country.
It called on the National Assembly to review the contentious provisions through wider consultations with religious organisations, civil society groups and other stakeholders to ensure road safety objectives are achieved without undermining citizens’ constitutional rights.
The group also reaffirmed its support for lawful and responsible religious activities, urging preachers to conduct evangelism in a manner that respects public order while calling on authorities to safeguard the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
