If you thought the Senate just banned preaching inside danfos and buses, the Red Chamber says you got it all wrong. According to them, that law has been there since 2007.

Here is what really happened, in plain English:

So, Nigerians have been dragging the Senate online after news broke that the new Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026 wants to slap anyone caught hawking, trading or preaching inside a commercial vehicle with a N50,000 fine.

Many people, from Christian groups to opposition parties and civil society, called it insensitive, especially with the current economic hardship and unemployment.

But now the Senate is saying, hold on — it is not what you think.

In a statement on Monday, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele clarified that the controversial provision is NOT a fresh law. He said preaching and hawking in commercial vehicles have been an offence since the FRSC Act was enacted in 2007.

Hear him:

“Pursuant to Section 10(4) of the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act, 2007 and Regulation 220 of the National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) 2012, preaching and hawking in a commercial vehicle are offences. The offences have been part of the Act before the current amendment. 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.”

He also stressed that the Bill does not outlaw street preaching at all. According to him, it is purely about road safety and stopping distractions that put commuters at risk.

And for those tagging Senator Bamidele as the brain behind it, the Senate says nope. The Bill actually started from the House of Representatives and only came to the Senate for concurrence as required by the 1999 Constitution.

For context, the amendment is bigger than just the bus preaching part. As reported by cbinews.tv, the Bill also proposes:

* N50,000 fine or 6 months in jail for refusing an FRSC roadside breath test

* N100,000 fine or up to 2 years imprisonment for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, up from N5,000 before

* N100,000 fine for beating traffic lights, ignoring road signs and markings

* Stiffer penalties for speeding and reckless driving

In total, the revised schedule lists 52 traffic offences.

The Senate says the amendment process is still ongoing and stakeholders can still send in their concerns before it becomes law.

This story was originally reported by cbinews.tv.

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