…Berates PFN
CITIZENS COMPASS—The president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has threatened to mobilise 65 million Christians to continue preaching in commercial buses despite the law banning bus preaching.
Reacting to the threat, an Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has vowed that Nigerian Muslims will hand over bus preachers to the police if they insist on disturbing public peace inside commercial buses.
MURIC’s vow was contained in a statement circulated on Wednesday, 5th August, 2026 by the group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
”Bishop Francis Wale Oke, president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), has threatened to mobilise 65 million Christians to continue preaching in commercial buses despite the law banning bus preaching.
”His exact words were, ‘We will break that law because our master told us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature and you sit somewhere there and say that we shouldn’t preach in buses? We will preach in buses, we will preach everywhere because you are evil and making evil decrees…’ (https://punchng.com/well-keep-preaching-in-buses-pfn-president-vows-to-defy-proposed-ban/?amp).
”In the first place, this statement constitutes an incitement. Bishop Wale Oke is inciting Nigerian Christians to disobey the law, to cause commotion. Secondly, the Bishop is aware that preaching in the bus violates the law but he is determined to break it. Note the words, ‘We will break that law’.
”Thirdly, Bishop Wale Oke has failed to realise that there is a line of demarcation between houses of God and public spaces. He believes Christians should preach everywhere, anywhere, any time without considering any discomfort to any other person.
”This is rather unfortunate. We are surprised that a whole bishop is insisting on breaking the law even when the Bible teaches otherwise.
”Romans 13:1-7 says, ‘Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves’.
”But here is a bishop misleading Nigerian Christians to ‘receive condemnation upon themselves’ by disobeying the law banning bus preaching. The PFN leader said 65 million Christians are ready to go to jail over bus preaching. It is quite a pity that pity cannot pity itself.
”For the avoidance of doubts, the ban on bus preaching is not new. It has been part of Nigeria’s laws since 2007. Technically, therefore, it is an extant law.
”Even the Senate has recently clarified that the prohibition of preaching and hawking in commercial buses is not a new law but has been part of the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act since 2007.
”Contrary to the wrong impression that it is being introduced by the 10th Senate, the provision has always existed under the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act, No. 22 of 2007.
”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 already offences.
”The 10th Senate merely renumbered the provision from Item 36 to Item 49 in the Second Schedule of the Act without altering its substance. All the hullabaloo over the law or ‘bill’ banning bus preaching is much ado about nothing.
”It is crystal clear that Bishop Wale Oke is inviting anarchy but MURIC will toe the path of dialogue because that is our motto: ‘Dialogue, Not Violence’ for the Bible says, ‘Blessed are the peace makers’.
”The Glorious Qur’an says, ‘The true servants of Allah, the Merciful, are those who walk humbly on the earth who, when the ignorant people behave insolently towards them, they say, ‘Peace be unto you’ (25:63).
”We therefore appeal to Muslims nationwide to remain calm and restrain themselves in the face of undue provocation from bus preachers.
”This is not cowardice. It is maturity coupled with humility and piety. Instead of reacting when bus preachers make your trips uncomfortable, Muslims are advised to safely get evidence. You can report the bus preacher to law enforcement agents at police checking points. You can also report them to FRSC officers on the road and send the evidence to MURIC headquarters as you have been doing before.
”Nigerian Christians have a penchant for forceful conversion. They possess a strong inclination towards converting people under duress. Propelled by the hope of pecuniary benefit accruing to larger congregations from fat tithes, they embrace reckless and inconsiderate proselytisation with both arms.
”Having realised that the higher the number of those converted through reckless preaching the higher the number of people who will pay tithes, bring offerings and sow seeds, they play rough and neat to get converts. All this noise over the ban on bus preaching is therefore for pecuniary gains.*
”MURIC appeals to the Federal Government (FG) and state governments to be firm in implementing the ban on bus preaching. As in so many other instances, this law has suffered from lack of implementation although it has been there for 19 years.
”At the appropriate time and with the Kilimanjaro-size mountain of evidence at our disposal, we will approach the authorities.
”If bus preachers are still not arrested after that, Muslims will challenge Christian bus preachers and hand them over to the police if they continue to disturb passengers.
”Christians are not above the law. They don’t have two heads. We will discipline them if they refuse to obey the law and if they continue to disrespect social decorum.
”We repeat, if the police will not arrest bus preachers despite the existing law prohibiting bus preaching, they have abdicated their responsibility and encouraged lawlessness.
”We charge Bishop Wale Oke in particular and all Christian leaders in general to ‘Give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar (Mathew 22:21). This can only be done by obeying the laws of the land and by respecting social decorum. It is called religious tolerance.
”True tolerance exists where the privacy of others and their peace of mind are respected, not where we shout and scream down their necks and force them to close their eyes even when they are driving.”
