PFN leader vows to defy proposed bus preaching ban

The President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has declared that Christians will defy a proposed legal restriction on preaching inside commercial vehicles, framing the issue as a conflict between divine command and human law. Speaking during a church sermon on Sunday, August 2, Oke vowed that members of the fellowship would continue evangelizing in buses regardless of legislation, stating they would rather obey God than man.

Oke criticized the National Assembly for focusing on the issue while, in his view, failing to adequately address widespread insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, and violent crime. He questioned why lawmakers would target those preaching a message of peace instead of pursuing killers and kidnappers. The cleric warned that the government should be prepared to arrest large numbers of Christians if it intended to enforce the provision, insisting the PFN would not direct its members to stop.

His comments intensify a debate over an amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission Establishment Act. Reports indicate the amendment proposes a fine of 50,000 Naira for anyone convicted of preaching, hawking, or trading inside commercial...