PFN President Dares Senate Over Proposed Ban On Bus Preaching, Demands Constitutional Review

The National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has vowed that Christians will continue preaching the Gospel in public buses despite a proposed law prescribing penalties for unauthorized preaching in public transport.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, Bishop Oke declared that Christians would “rather obey God than man,” insisting that evangelism in public places is a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith.

He criticized the legislative process surrounding the proposed amendment, arguing that religious stakeholders were not consulted before the bill was advanced.

“If you are dealing with something of public interest, you invite the stakeholders to participate and hear their views, not that you have passed it and are presenting it to the President for endorsement,” he said.

The PFN president maintained that preaching in buses has transformed lives over the years and dismissed claims that it poses safety risks or distracts drivers.

“I have been preaching in buses since 1975. There is no record of any distraction, accident or mishap resulting from preaching in buses,” he said, describing the proposal as “a targeted attack against the church.”

Bishop Oke insisted that Christians would resist any attempt to criminalize public evangelism.

“We will preach in buses. If they want to imprison us, let them arrest all of us. We would rather obey God than man,” he declared.

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Beyond the proposed legislation, the cleric called for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s Constitution, alleging that it favours one religion over another while failing to recognize Christianity.

He also urged the National Assembly to focus on addressing insecurity and killings across the country instead of what he described as “flippant” legislation targeting Christian evangelism.

Responding to questions on whether church leaders should comment on political matters, Bishop Oke argued that issues such as the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are moral concerns rather than partisan politics.

According to him, calls by Christian leaders for an independent electoral body amount to “speaking truth to power” and should not be interpreted as political interference.

During the interview, the Channels Television presenters noted that government officials have rejected allegations of genocide against Christians and maintained that the law referenced by Bishop Oke has existed in Nigeria’s statutes since 2007, with recent amendments involving only its renumbering. They also pointed out that the proposed penalty for violating the provision is a ₦50,000 fine rather than imprisonment.

The presenters further emphasized that the Federal Government has consistently maintained that Nigeria is a secular state under Section 10 of the Constitution and does not officially support any religion over another.

However, Bishop Oke insisted that the provision should be removed from the statute and reaffirmed that the church would continue to preach the Gospel publicly regardless of any legal restrictions.

“We will break that law. We will preach the Gospel everywhere. It is fundamental to our faith,” he said.