The Senate has clarified that the prohibition of preaching and hawking inside commercial vehicles is not a new provision introduced under the proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Establishment Act, stating that the offences have been part of Nigerian law since 2007.
The clarification followed public reactions to reports that the Senate had 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.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in the Office of the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, the upper chamber said the provision already exists in the FRSC (Establishment) Act, 2007, as well as the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012.
“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 said.
According to the Senate, Section 10(4) of the FRSC (Establishment) Act, 2007, and Regulation 220 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, already classify preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles as traffic offences.
It explained that the provision, previously listed as Item 36 in the Second Schedule of the Act, has merely been renumbered as Item 49 in the proposed amendment.
“Preaching and hawking in a commercial vehicle are offences. The offences have been part of the Act before the current amendment,” the statement added.
The Senate also dismissed claims that the bill seeks to ban public or street preaching, stressing that the provision applies only to activities inside commercial vehicles in the interest of road safety.
“The Bill does not outlaw preaching on the streets as some interests have claimed. It is intended to enhance the safety of commuters and other road users, not to undermine religious activities in public spaces,” the statement noted.
The upper chamber further clarified that Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele neither initiated nor sponsored the legislation, describing it as a concurrence bill that had already been amended and passed by the House of Representatives.
“The Bill is not an initiative of the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele. It is a concurrence bill first amended by the House of Representatives and requires Senate concurrence in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution,” the statement said.
The Senate noted that the amendment process is still ongoing and encouraged members of the public and other stakeholders to channel their concerns through the appropriate legislative processes before the bill is finalised.
Beyond the provision on preaching and hawking, the proposed amendment also seeks tougher penalties for several traffic offences. These include increasing the fine for driving under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicating substances from ₦5,000 to ₦100,000, while reckless driving, speeding and other violations would attract fines of up to ₦100,000, with some offences also carrying prison terms.
