PFN urges Tinubu to withhold assent to FRSC amendment bill on bus preaching, hawking

•Says insecurity, hunger more urgent than bus preaching bill

THE Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withhold assent to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Amendment Bill, arguing that provisions seeking to penalise preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles could infringe on citizens’ constitutional rights and heighten religious tension.

The appeal was made at the third-quarter National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the fellowship, held at the PFN secretariat in Lagos on Thursday.

Speaking after the meeting, the PFN national secretary, Bishop David Bakare, said while the fellowship supports efforts to improve road safety, it believes the proposed legislation is misplaced and fails to address Nigeria’s more pressing challenges.

The bill, which has reportedly been passed by the National Assembly and is awaiting presidential assent, proposes a fine of N50,000, six months imprisonment, or both, for anyone found hawking or preaching in commercial vehicles as part of measures aimed at reducing distractions to drivers.

Bakare said the fellowship appreciates the intention of lawmakers and the FRSC to strengthen road safety enforcement but questioned the necessity of the provision prohibiting preaching in buses.

“There are many existing laws in Nigeria that, if properly implemented, would bring sanity to the country. What Nigerians urgently need today are solutions to insecurity, hunger and economic hardship, not legislation that appears to target religious activities,” he said.

According to him, the fellowship believes the provision on preaching disproportionately affects Christians, who are more commonly known to evangelise in commercial buses.

“We do not understand why lawmakers believe preaching in commercial buses distracts drivers. We have never been presented with evidence showing that a road accident occurred because someone was preaching in a bus,” Bakare stated.

He argued that the proposed law could infringe on constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and expression, adding that similar concerns over activities that obstruct traffic in other settings have not received equal legislative attention.

The PFN national secretary urged the president to return the bill to the National Assembly for wider consultations with critical stakeholders.

“This is a sensitive matter capable of generating unnecessary tension. We appeal to Mr President not to assent to the bill but to send it back for further deliberation. Government should focus on addressing issues that directly affect the welfare and security of Nigerians,” he said.

Bakare stressed that the fellowship remains committed to peaceful engagement with government but warned that criminalising peaceful evangelism would be unacceptable to the Christian community.

“If government insists on implementing such a law, then they should be prepared to arrest us. We will continue to practise our faith peacefully, and government should not create avoidable religious intolerance,” he added.

Also speaking, the PFN national treasurer, Dr Samuel Aboyeji, commended the recent successes recorded by security agencies against criminal elements, describing the release of abducted victims in Oyo state as an answer to prayers.

He, however, urged the Federal Government not to relent in its fight against banditry and kidnapping.

“The government should build on the recent successes and sustain pressure on bandits. They are becoming more sophisticated, and the fight against insecurity must remain a top priority,” Aboyeji said.

On the proposed FRSC amendment bill, Aboyeji questioned the priorities of the National Assembly, arguing that street hawking is largely a consequence of Nigeria’s harsh economic conditions.

“Hawking in commercial buses is not something people enjoy doing. It reflects the state of the economy. Rather than criminalising hawkers and preachers, lawmakers should make life better for Nigerians,” he said.

He also maintained that the PFN had not changed its position on the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, insisting that the fact it succeeded in the 2023 elections did not alter the fellowship’s earlier reservations.

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