The Nigeria Senate has clarified that the ongoing amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) (Establishment) Act, 2007, does not seek to ban street preaching.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement issued by his media office on Monday, pointed out that the restriction on preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles had been part of the law since 2007.
Only this past Sunday, the Founder of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, condemned the bill penalising preaching inside commercial buses as passed by the Senate, describing the legislation as an “anti-Christian” attempt to humiliate the faith.
Speaking during a service in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the cleric warned proponents of the controversial 2026 traffic offence and anti-preaching bill to “leave Christians alone,” saying the proposed law could trigger widespread chaos across Nigeria if enacted.
According to Bamidele’s statement, the public concerns over the purported proscription of preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles stemmed from a misunderstanding of the amendment bill.
His office asserted that section 10(4) of the FRSC (Establishment) Act, 2007, and Regulation 220 of the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) 2012 already classify preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles as offences.
It added that the provision, which was originally listed as Item 36 in the second schedule to the Act, has merely been renumbered as Item 49 under the proposed amendment.
Bamidele stressed that the bill was intended to enhance the safety of commuters and other road users, not to restrict religious activities in public spaces.
“The Bill, therefore, does not outlaw preaching on the streets as some interests have claimed in different fora. It is about the safety of commuters and other road users and not intended to undermine any religious activity in the public space,” the statement reads.
The media office further dismissed claims that Bamidele sponsored the amendment bill, noting that the legislation originated in the House of Representatives and was transmitted to the senate for concurrence in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
“The Bill is not an initiative of Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, CON. Rather, it is a concurrence bill first amended by the House of Representatives.
“As required by the 1999 Constitution, the Bill requires the concurrence of the Senate before it can become effective,” the media office stated.
It added that the amendment process was still ongoing and urged stakeholders to channel their concerns through the appropriate legislative institutions before its conclusion.
