President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has vowed that Christians will continue preaching inside commercial buses despite the restriction under Nigeria’s road traffic laws
Oke challenged the National Assembly and law enforcement agencies to prepare enough prisons to accommodate millions of Christians if the provision is enforced.
The PFN president spoke while addressing worshippers in a video that circulated on social media on Monday.
He described the restriction as an evil decree and urged Pentecostal Christians not to obey any directive preventing them from preaching in buses and taxis.
“We will break that law because our master told us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Oke said.
“You sit somewhere there and say we should not preach in buses? We will preach in buses, and we will preach everywhere.”
Oke claimed that the PFN represents more than 65 million people and directed Christians to continue spreading the gospel in public transportation.
“I lead over 65 million people. Everybody, go into every taxi, go into every bus and preach,” he declared.
“Let them arrest us and turn the National Stadium into a prison. Let them build more prisons.”
The cleric accused lawmakers of targeting peaceful evangelists while failing to effectively confront kidnappers, bandits, armed groups and other violent criminals.
“You don’t go after k!llers, those beheading people, rapists, kidnappers and bandits unlawfully carrying arms, but you are going after us preaching the gospel of peace,” he said.
“We won’t listen to you. You are not God. You are there for a tenure.”
Oke further warned that Christians would openly resist the restriction and could march on the streets if arrests were carried out.
“Bring it on and see how you will imprison 65 million people,” he said.
The Senate had earlier clarified that the provision against preaching, hawking and trading inside commercial vehicles was not newly introduced by the ongoing amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission Act.
It said the offences had existed under the FRSC Act since 2007 and were aimed at preventing distractions and protecting commuters.
The Senate also maintained that the provision does not prohibit preaching on streets or in other public places.
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