Preaching, hawking remain offences, Senate clarifies 2026 Federal Road Safety Commission Amendment Bill

The Senate has duly noticed public concerns on the purported proscription of preaching and hawking in a commercial vehicle under the ongoing amendment to the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act, No. 22, 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 offences. The offences have been part of the Act before the current amendment.

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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 Bill, therefore, does not outlaw preaching on the streets as some interests have claimed in different fora. It is about the safety of commuters and other road users and not intended to undermine any religious activity in the public space.

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The Bill is not an initiative of Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, CON. Rather, it is a concurrence bill first amended by the House of Representatives. As required by the 1999 Constitution, the Bill requires the concurrence of the Senate before it can become effective.

The amendment process is still ongoing. In the spirit of democracy, stakeholders can channel their concerns to the appropriate institutions before the completion of the process.

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