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Mixed reactions have continued to trail the Senate’s passage of the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The new bill criminalises hawking, trading and preaching inside commercial vehicles, and also prescribes a fine of ₦50,000, six months’ imprisonment, or both, for offenders.
The bill, which currently awaits presidential assent, it was gathered, had also generated a lot of discussions among Nigerians, most especially pastors, imams and even those that sell different products in the commercial buses.
Clinical Psychologist, Mr Olopade Monsuru, said hawking in the bus has advantages as well as disadvantages.
He explained that hawking is beneficial to the vendors, bringing about high visibility through the moving bus where passengers are easily accessed as customers, and it also allows for quick sales turnover for the vendors.
Olopade pointed out also that hawking in the bus makes prices of products affordable.
“Items sold by bus hawkers are frequently cheaper than those found in standard retail shops. This affordability directly benefits budget-conscious passengers.
“Selling inside buses serves as accessible survival mechanism for low-income individuals. It requires very little start-up money compared to renting a formal shop,” he stated.
He noted, however, that hawking in commercial buses also has a number of disadvantages. These, he said, include environmental waste issues that may lead to a noticeable increase in transit littering.
Passengers, he said, routinely discard plastic wrappers and empty beverage bottles straight out of windows or onto the floor.
Olopade also highlighted the hazards of buying products that may not be approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) that may also have negative effects upon consumption.
“The belief is that products bought in a commercial bus are cheap and affordable. Selling in buses usually provides immediate livelihood for people. Many could not afford to rent a shop as this has been a major issue in recent time,” he said.
Pastor Samuel Babatope of Christ Apostolic Church, Citadel of Grace, Lagos, said preaching in the bus is good because it raises the hope of the people.
The cleric said he disagreed totally with the Senate, wondering why the lawmakers are bent on banning preaching and hawking in buses at a time when there are other urgent socio-economic issues in the country for them to address.
“They should not create unnecessary tension in the country. I don’t know what they really want to achieve with the ban. When you look at these two things, they are pointing at the Senate’s insensitivity to the plight of the masses of the people, most especially with the issue of hawking. Many of them also passed through these routes.
“For instance, God has blessed me, but I cannot forget the fact that I hawked for almost seven years. I remembered when we were young, we were about six and four of us hawked at one time or the other.
“In my own case, once you get to the senior secondary school age, you are done with hawking and the younger siblings would take over.
“That was how it went round for about four of us, the most senior. But today, we blessed God that all of us have been blessed and we are all doing great in life.
“Banning hawking in commercial buses would create a ripple effect that would affect many households in the country.
“Many Nigerians are struggling by doing legitimate jobs for livelihood, and now you want to push them out of where they make money legitimately. Do you want to push them into Yahoo, or what,” he asked.
“I am not sure the Senate really know that the strength of the Nigerian economy cannot really contain the fact that some people should stop hawking,” he said.
Babatope expressed concern about the Senate’s attitude to religious issues. He pointed out that preaching, like every other legitimate act, should not create issues in a secular country like Nigeria.
According to him, there’s hope in every message of any religion. He explained also that when preaching in a bus becomes an offence under the law, it means there is an attempt to reduce the hope of the masses.
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“I would never support it because the word of God always brings hope and any time the good news is being preached, either in Islam or in Christianity, it provides hope. It gives hope to the masses. You need to know what people are really passing through.
“It shows that the Senators are far from the masses, because that is not the solution to the current problems.
“There are major issues in Nigeria – economic, social and political. Even the security challenges are also not going to stop in just a day, but there is a need to give hope to Nigerians through the words of God,” he said.
Deputy Imam, Adamo Central Mosque, Ikorodu, Lagos, Sheikh AbdulGaniy Ibrahim, said Islam is clear about preaching and hawking in commercial buses.
According to the cleric, Islamic perspective about preaching (da’wah) on a bus is permissible, but it is subject to important Islamic principles regarding wisdom, manners, and respect for the rights of others.
“Hawking in a bus is also generally permissible, provided it is done honestly and lawfully. However, when preaching and hawking are done in ways that inconvenience or harm passengers, they can become blameworthy.”
Sheikh Ibrahim said Prophet Muhammad (SAW) implored all Muslims to make things easy and not make them difficult.
The holy prophet, he said, urged his followers to give glad tidings and not drive people away.
“Preaching on a bus is acceptable if it is done politely and respectfully. If it does not force people to listen. If it does not create fear, disturbance, or arguments and also if the bus operator or transport rules do not prohibit it.
“And if passengers clearly do not wish to listen, or if the preaching becomes disruptive, it is better to stop, because Islam forbids causing unnecessary harm,” he said.
He cited Quran 2 verses 275, saying Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury.
“Hawking in a bus is also not a sin and permissible if the trade is lawful, honest, and does not inconvenience or harm passengers.
“If either activity causes annoyance, violates transport rules, delays passengers, or creates hardship, it should be avoided, because Islam emphasises respect for people’s rights and the removal of harm.
“A Muslim should always remember that good character is one of the strongest forms of da’wah. Sometimes, respectful behaviour and honesty leave a greater impression than words alone,” he said.
Founder of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, also criticised the proposed ban on preaching in commercial buses.
He said the ban was targeted at Christians, even as he warned the church not to be silent if it becomes law.
According to him, the law singled out Christians while allowing other religious practices to continue unchecked. He called on Christians to resist the legislation.
“Are you aware they said you should not preach in buses? That’s a stupid law,” he said, adding, “Nigeria has gotten so stupid, the so-called men in assembly, I don’t know where they kept their brains.
“Every Christian, rise up. They are telling you not to preach in buses, tomorrow they’ll tell you not to share handbills. I will never be alive to see Christianity being humiliated in Nigeria, never,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, Mrs Ngozi Ijeomah sells her products in commercial buses. She has been hawking in commercial buses popularly known as TATA for close to a decade.
According to her, she got to know about the proposed ban when one of her friends jokingly said she would get her arrested if she saw her hawking in the bus again.
“I thought it was our usual jokes taken too far. But she later told me that her husband, a pastor who usually preaches in a bus, was thinking about my plight and that of many others that the new law would affect when he mentioned that the new law also affected hawkers that sell their products in the bus.
“Well, the question I have been asking is: what does the government want us to eat? This is what I do to feed my family and send my children to school since the death of their father about 12 years ago.
“I think the government is not considerate enough to know that those of us selling in the bus are struggling. If they were considerate, they should know that it has not been easy for us to get shops. That is why we are selling our products cheaply in the bus so that passengers can afford them.
“I am using this opportunity to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stop any law that would make life difficult for Nigerians. In Lagos State alone, many people make their livelihood by selling different products in a bus,” she stated.
