The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has vowed to resist any attempt to stop Christians from preaching in commercial buses, insisting that believers would continue evangelising even if such a law were enforced.
The President of the PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, stated this on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
He was reacting to the controversy surrounding the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes a N50,000 fine for anyone convicted of hawking, trading, or preaching inside commercial vehicles.
“We will preach in buses if they want to imprison us; let them come and arrest us. We are coming. We will preach in buses; they cannot stop us,” Oke said.
The Bishop of Sword of the Spirit Ministries International said Christians would “rather obey God than man,” arguing that any restriction on public preaching would violate their constitutional right to propagate their faith.
Defending remarks he made in a viral video while addressing his congregation, Oke reiterated his determination to resist any attempt to prohibit public evangelism.
“Make all the stadiums in Nigeria become a prison if you want to enforce that law. We are coming. We will preach in buses; we will preach everywhere,” he said in the video.
The cleric described the proposal as an attack on Christians rather than a genuine effort to improve public safety.
According to him, the proposed restriction reflects what he sees as a broader pattern of policies targeting Christians.
He added that Nigeria belongs to people of different religious beliefs and should remain so.
The controversy followed public concerns over provisions in the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026 relating to preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles.
However, the Senate has clarified that the amendment bill does not introduce a new prohibition on preaching or hawking in commercial vehicles.
According to the Senate, the provision has existed since the enactment of the FRSC Establishment Act, 2007, where it appeared as Item 36 of the Second Schedule, and was later retained as Item 49 in the proposed amendment.
It also cited Regulation 220 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012.
The Senate also dismissed claims that the bill seeks to ban street preaching or restrict religious activities in public places.
“It is about the safety of commuters and other road users and is not intended to undermine any religious activity in the public space,” the Senate said in a statement.
The upper chamber further clarified that the bill was not sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, explaining that it originated in the House of Representatives and is before the Senate as a concurrence bill.
The Senate added that the legislative process was still ongoing and urged stakeholders to channel their concerns through the appropriate legislative process before the bill is passed.
