A former Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly and Assistant Pastor in Charge of Province in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Remmy Hazzan, has thrown his weight behind the proposed N50,000 fine for preaching inside commercial vehicles, saying Christians should obey the law if the Federal Road Safety Corps Amendment Bill 2026 is eventually signed into law.
Hazzan made this known on Monday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5FM, Ilese Ijebu, Ogun State, where he said churches would reorient their members to comply with the legislation once it takes effect.
According to him, the Christian faith places a premium on obedience to lawful authority, stressing that believers must respect any law restricting evangelism in commercial buses.
“The Bible is very clear. We are meant to obey government. If there hasn’t been any law restricting preaching in buses, and we’ve been preaching, that means that we’ve not been breaking any law. If a law has come in today that says don’t preach in the bus, respect that law,” he said.
He added, “If the law is signed today, we will have to do some reorientation of our people in the church. Yes, we can evangelize, but there has been restriction now in public buses.”
Speaking on why preaching in commercial vehicles should be classified as a traffic related offence, the cleric argued that the proposal was justified on safety grounds because it could distract drivers and endanger passengers.
“The reason is because if you look at it logically, you can be preaching and the driver too will get engrossed in the message you are passing and every driver needs 100% concentration, no distraction and if you succeed to distract the driver, you endanger the lives of every occupant of the vehicle,” Hazzan said.
He, however, noted that he had yet to study the full details of the proposed legislation, saying churches would align their compliance with the specific provisions of the law after it is enacted.
“Maybe that may not apply to a stationary bus as we have not seen the details of the law. Maybe when we read it, we’ll be able to streamline our compliance in the way that the law will not be broken,” he stated.
Beyond the proposed amendment, Hazzan urged churches to remain active in promoting good governance without engaging in partisan politics, saying religious organisations should concentrate on raising leaders with sound moral values.
“You don’t even need to be partisan in any manner whatsoever because partisanship can even destroy the church system,” he said.
He further called on churches to continue speaking up for accountability in governance while maintaining mechanisms to discipline members who abuse public office.
“The church should also sustain their level of good governance advocacy. Without being partisan, just let it be known where you stand,” he said.
Hazzan added, “Every church should have a mechanism for calling their members to order, especially when they get things wrong.”
