The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Wale Oke, has maintained that Christians will continue to preach in commercial buses despite the proposed legislation seeking to prohibit the practice.
Addressing his congregation on Sunday, Oke vowed that members of the PFN would resist any attempt to enforce the law, insisting that preaching the gospel remained non-negotiable.
“Make all the stadiums in Nigeria become prisons; if you want to enforce that law, we are coming. We will break that law. 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 clergyman accused lawmakers of focusing on curbing religious preaching instead of tackling insecurity and violent crimes across the country.
“You don’t go after killers; you are not going after those beheading; you are not going after rapists; you are not going after kidnappers. You are not going after bandits who are unlawfully carrying arms. You are going after us who are preaching the message of peace that changes people’s lives. We wouldn’t listen to you. You are not God! Those promoting that law, God will cut them off. We will rain curses upon you and your family unless you repent. This law, we will break it,” he stressed.
The PFN president’s comments come amid growing reactions from Christian leaders over the proposed legislation, which prescribes penalties for individuals who preach or engage in unsolicited religious activities inside commercial buses.
The Senate recently clarified that the prohibition of preaching and hawking inside commercial vehicles is not a new provision introduced by the ongoing amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission Establishment Act, insisting that the offences have existed in Nigerian law since 2007.
The clarification followed widespread public criticism after reports that the Senate passed 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.
In a statement issued by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in the Office of the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate maintained that the controversial provision had long been in existence in the FRSC Act and National Road Traffic Regulations.
“The Senate has duly noticed public concerns on the purported proscription of preaching and hawking in a commercial vehicle under the ongoing amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act, No. 22, 2007,” the statement read.
Similarly, several prominent clerics have also lent their voices against the proposed legislation. The founder of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr Paul Enenche, posited that evangelism remains a core Christian obligation, warning against any policy that seeks to restrict peaceful gospel preaching in public places.
In the same vein, Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church Worldwide, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of evangelism to the Christian faith, urging believers not to relent in soul-winning despite perceived opposition. The clergyman during a recent sermon, urged the Federal Government to focus on addressing security challenges rather than placing emphasis on preaching in commercial buses.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG ), has also consistently encouraged Christians to continue sharing their faith peacefully and in accordance with biblical injunctions.
