Road safety or religious policing? Why National Assembly is fighting the wrong battle

When the National Assembly devotes valuable legislative time to retaining a N50,000 fine for preaching inside commercial vehicles, Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question: Is this truly the greatest threat confronting road safety in our country?

The answer is obvious.

No responsible citizen opposes genuine efforts to make Nigerian roads safer. Every year, thousands of lives are lost through reckless driving, poorly maintained highways, insecurity and weak enforcement of traffic regulations. Any legislation aimed at reducing these tragedies deserves public support. But when lawmakers choose to focus on peaceful bus preaching while leaving far graver dangers largely unaddressed, they create the impression that they are fighting the wrong battle.

The Senate has argued that the provision is not new but has existed in the Federal Road Safety Commission Act since 2007. That explanation may be legally correct, but it does not answer the more important question: Should the provision remain in our laws? Laws are amended because societies evolve and because Parliament has a continuing duty to ensure they remain constitutional, relevant and fair.

This particular provision deserves fresh scrutiny.

Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, religion and expression. Those freedoms are not absolute, but any restriction must be necessary, proportionate and applied equally. Criminalising peaceful preaching merely because it occurs inside a commercial vehicle stretches the principle of reasonable regulation beyond what many Nigerians would consider justifiable.

If a preacher distracts the driver, blocks the driver’s view, uses deafening loudspeakers, harasses unwilling passengers or aggressively solicits money, such conduct should certainly attract sanctions. The offence, however, should be the dangerous conduct, not the peaceful communication of a religious message.

Even more troubling is the issue of consistency.

Across parts of Nigeria, it is not uncommon for roads or sections of major highways to become congested or temporarily occupied during large Friday Jumu’ah prayers, delauing traffic while worshippers gather and disperse. Strangely, this has mot attracted attention of the lawmakers and enforcement agents.

Whatever the religious affiliation involved, where public roads are substantially obstructed, the law should apply the same standard. Road safety and public order cannot be enforced selectively. Justice demands consistency, not exceptions based on the identity of those involved.

Yet the greatest threats confronting motorists have little to do with preaching. Anyone who regularly travels Nigerian highways understands the exhausting reality of endless security checkpoints. While security operations are necessary in a country battling terrorism, banditry and kidnapping. Many motorists complain that numerous checkpoints have become opportunities for unofficial payments.

Drivers may be compelled to stop repeatedly over relatively short distances, creating delays, frustration and mental fatigue. Constant interruptions break concentration and increase stress, especially during long journeys. These are issues deserving serious legislative attention.

Even more alarming is the insecurity that has turned many highways into corridors of fear. Bandits, kidnappers and heavily armed criminal gangs have transformed what should be ordinary journeys into terrifying experiences. Travellers now embark on trips with anxiety, praying they will arrive safely rather than become victims of violent crime. Families monitor phone calls throughout journeys because they know the risks are real. This persistent atmosphere of fear places enormous psychological pressure on drivers, affecting judgment and concentration in ways that no peaceful sermon ever could.

Poor road infrastructure presents another daily danger.

Collapsed bridges, potholes deep enough to destroy vehicles, failed drainage systems, abandoned construction projects and broken-down trucks left unattended on highways continue to claim lives. In many places, road signs are missing, street lighting is inadequate and emergency response remains painfully slow. These hazards kill far more Nigerians than passengers quietly listening to words of encouragement during a bus ride.

Ironically, many bus preachers begin with prayers for the driver, passengers and the success of the journey. They urge people to avoid crime, respect one another, remain patient and place their trust in God. For many weary commuters and drivers facing economic hardship, insecurity and uncertainty, such messages offer hope, comfort and emotional stability. Whether one agrees with their theology or not, it is difficult to argue that a calm prayer for journey mercies constitutes a major road safety threat.

If the concern is distraction, then legislation should target every form of driver distraction equally. Loud music, distracting conversations, mobile phone use while driving, excessive passenger interference and reckless conduct should all receive the same attention. Selecting religious preaching for criminal sanctions while overlooking other common distractions sends the wrong signal.

Another glaring danger the National Assembly appears content to ignore is the reckless abuse of sirens by convoys of public officials. Motorists are routinely forced off the road by speeding escorts who intimidate other road users, violate traffic rules and create panic in the name of VIP movement. Many avoidable accidents have resulted from the chaotic scramble to give way to these convoys, yet there is little accountability or legislative urgency to curb the excesses. If road safety is truly the priority, lawmakers should confront this culture of official impunity instead of directing their attention at peaceful bus preachers.

This debate also highlights a wider concern about the place of Christianity within Nigeria’s public life.

Many Christians increasingly believe that their faith receives unequal treatment in certain public discussions and policy decisions. Some of these concerns are externally driven, including attacks on Christian communities by violent extremists in parts of the country, destruction of places of worship, kidnappings of clergy and persistent insecurity affecting many predominantly Christian farming communities. These are genuine issues that deserve sustained national attention.

Other challenges are self-inflicted. The Christian community itself has not always spoken with one voice on matters affecting constitutional liberties and the common good. Denominational rivalries, personal ambitions, excessive attachment to political interests and the growing commercialisation of religion have weakened collective advocacy. Too often, Christians become vocal only when their own denomination is affected rather than when broader principles of justice are at stake.

Equally disappointing is the silence of many elected officials who publicly profess the Christian faith but sit through plenarywhere obnoxious anti-Christian legislatoons are churned out. Legislators swear an oath to uphold the Constitution, not merely to represent political parties.

Regardless of religious affiliation, every lawmaker has a duty to defend the constitutional rights of every Nigerian. When legislation appears to restrict fundamental freedoms without compelling justification, those entrusted with making the laws should speak openly, debate honestly and seek necessary amendments.

Democracy flourishes when elected representatives are guided by conscience, constitutional principles and the national interest. not by silence or political convenience.

The larger issue extends beyond Christianity though. Today it may be bus preaching. Tomorrow it could be another peaceful form of expression. Once governments begin restricting constitutional freedoms without demonstrating genuine necessity, every citizen has reason for concern. Rights are rarely lost all at once; they are often diminished gradually through laws that appear minor until their broader implications become manifest.

Nigeria urgently needs legislative priorities that reflect the realities facing ordinary citizens. It is not clear if it is mental laziness or yet to be unveiled reasons that prompted this kind of wacky bill in the National Assembly. The legislature should focus on strengthening highway security, eliminating corruption on the roads, improving transport infrastructure, enforcing existing traffic laws effectively, supporting emergency response systems and ensuring that security checkpoints are reduced, operate professionally and transparently. These reforms would save lives every single day.

Road safety cannot be achieved through symbolic legislation that targets one innocuous activity while ignoring the overwhelming causes of accidents and public danger.

The National Assembly should, therefore, reconsider this provision. Punish conduct that genuinely endangers motorists. Penalise obstruction of highways regardless of who is responsible. Sanction reckless behaviour wherever it occurs. Address insecurity that keeps millions of Nigerians living in fear. Reform abusive practices at checkpoints. Repair dangerous roads. Strengthen enforcement against reckless driving.

But do not criminalise peaceful religious expression.

Nigeria is strongest when its laws protect both public safety and constitutional liberty. The challenge before lawmakers is not to choose one at the expense of another, but to uphold both with fairness, courage and equal justice under the law.