The Nigerian Senate clarified on Monday that the ban on preaching and hawking in commercial buses has existed since 2007. Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele issued the statement through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs.
The lawmakers noted that the provision formed part of the Federal Road Safety Commission Establishment Act, No. 22 of 2007. Consequently, the recent amendment did not introduce any new restriction on the practice inside commercial vehicles.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele explained that the amendment merely moved the existing rule from Item 36 to Item 49 in the Second Schedule of the Act. He added that the ban continued to apply only to commercial buses and not to street preaching by individuals or religious groups.
The Senate further stated that preaching and hawking in a commercial vehicle remained offences under Section 10(4) of the 2007 Act and Regulation 220 of the National Road Traffic Regulations of 2012. Therefore, the rules predated the current legislative process.
In its statement, the Senate said it had duly noticed public concerns about the purported proscription of preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles. The Directorate of Media and Public Affairs then quoted the clarification directly.
“The offences have been part of the Act before the current amendment,” the statement read. “Entrenched as Item 36 in the Second Schedule of the Act, preaching and hawking in a commercial vehicle are not new provisions in our legal system. The provisions have been part of the Act as far back as 2007. However, it is now listed as Item 49, Second Schedule of the Act.”
The Senate emphasised that the law remained unchanged in substance. Meanwhile, the amendment process continued as lawmakers reviewed other traffic penalties under the Federal Road Safety Commission framework.
