Christian organisations across Nigeria have risen in strong opposition to a provision in the proposed Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to prohibit preaching in commercial vehicles and impose a N50,000 fine on offenders.
The Senate passed the amendment bill on Thursday, July 16, 2026, as part of a broader review aimed at strengthening road safety enforcement and curbing practices considered capable of distracting drivers. The legislation also proposes stiffer penalties for other traffic offences, including a N100,000 fine for disobeying traffic lights and speed limit violations. The bill now awaits presidential assent.
However, the provision targeting preaching in commercial buses has drawn sharp criticism from Christian bodies, who argue that it infringes on constitutionally guaranteed rights and threatens religious freedom.
The Organisation of African Instituted Churches, Nigeria region, in a statement issued by its President, Dr Israel Akinadewo, expressed concern that the proposed legislation places preaching in commercial vehicles in the same category as hawking and other prohibited activities. The association described equating the peaceful proclamation of the Gospel with commercial hawking as insensitive and inconsistent with the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and freedom of expression.
According to OAIC, preaching in commercial buses has, over the years, remained a legitimate means of spreading messages of faith, hope, morality, repentance and peaceful coexistence across the country. The group warned that any law with the effect of criminalising peaceful religious expression could constitute an unnecessary restriction on the constitutional rights of Nigerians. It therefore appealed to President Bola Tinubu not to sign the bill into law in its current form and urged the National Assembly to review the relevant provisions through broad consultations with religious bodies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
Similarly, the Northern States Christian Elders Forum described the provision as unconstitutional and warned that it could infringe on citizens' rights to freedom of religion and expression while creating unnecessary religious tension. In a statement signed by its Chairman, Elder Sunday Oibe, NOSCEF said criminalising peaceful religious preaching in public spaces would amount to a dangerous encroachment on the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Nigerians.
The forum further argued that preaching the Gospel is a fundamental obligation of the Christian faith and that believers could not abandon what it described as a divine mandate because of human legislation. Quoting scripture, the group noted that Christians are instructed to preach the Word in season and out of season, describing this as a sacred responsibility rather than a political assignment. NOSCEF maintained that Christians have consistently carried out evangelism peacefully and without coercion, adding that they do not compel anyone to embrace their faith but cannot surrender their God-given responsibility to proclaim the Gospel wherever lawful opportunities exist.
The forum also questioned whether religious stakeholders were adequately consulted before the inclusion of the provision, noting that public preaching is a common practice among both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. It asked whose interests the provision sought to serve if members of both faiths consider preaching and religious exhortation integral to their beliefs.
While reaffirming support for measures aimed at improving road safety and strengthening traffic law enforcement, NOSCEF argued that such legislation should not be used to curtail constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. The group called on the National Assembly to review the amendment and remove any provision that penalises peaceful religious preaching, while urging Nigerians to remain calm and pursue their concerns through lawful and democratic means. It added that Nigeria's unity and stability would be better served by laws that protect the rights of all citizens rather than provisions capable of breeding suspicion, resentment and religious tension.
Both organisations have urged President Tinubu to withhold assent to the bill in its present form, calling for broader stakeholder engagement to ensure that public safety is promoted without undermining the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and expression.
Abuja Network News
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