By Ebunoluwa Sessou
The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke, has strongly opposed the proposed restriction on preaching in commercial buses, declaring that Christians would continue to evangelise regardless of any legislation seeking to curb the practice.
Speaking during a church sermon on Sunday, Oke described the measure as an attack on Christians’ constitutional and biblical responsibility to preach the gospel, insisting that members of the fellowship would resist its enforcement.
According to him, “Our Master told us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. You sit somewhere there, and you are saying we shouldn’t preach in buses. We will preach in buses. We will preach everywhere because you are making evil decrees. We will rather obey God than man,” he said.
The cleric also criticised the National Assembly for, in his view, prioritising restrictions on religious activities instead of addressing insecurity, kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes.
“You do not go after killers; you are not going after those beheading people; you are not going after rapists or kidnappers. Instead, you are going after those preaching the message of peace that changes lives. We wouldn’t listen to you. You are not God,” he said.
Oke warned that Christians would resist any attempt to implement the law, adding that those behind the proposal should reconsider their position.
His comments come amid growing reactions from Christian leaders over reports that the ongoing amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Establishment Act would impose penalties on individuals who preach, hawk or engage in unsolicited religious activities inside commercial vehicles.
However, the Senate has clarified that the provision is not new. According to a statement issued by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in the Office of the Senate Leader, the prohibition of preaching, hawking and trading inside commercial vehicles has existed under the FRSC Act and the National Road Traffic Regulations since 2007.
The clarification followed public criticism after reports that the Senate passed the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes a ₦50,000 fine for anyone convicted of hawking, trading or preaching inside commercial vehicles.
The Senate maintained that the ongoing amendment does not introduce a fresh offence but seeks to update the existing law.
Other prominent Christian leaders have also criticised the reported restriction. Paul Enenche has argued that evangelism remains a fundamental Christian obligation and warned against policies that could restrict peaceful gospel preaching in public places.
Similarly, David Oyedepo has consistently maintained that evangelism is central to the Christian faith, urging believers to remain committed to soul-winning despite perceived opposition.
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