The Senate has clarified that its recent concurrent amendments to the Federal Road Safety Commission (Establishment) Act, No. 22, 2007 did not include a ban on street preaching by individuals or religious organisations as speculated in certain quarters.
It also noted that the proscription of hawking/preaching in commercial buses had been part of the law and not a new addition by the National Assembly.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, while making the clarification on Monday, explained that the new legislation merely altered the position of the provision of hawking/preaching in commercial buses from Item 36 in the Second Schedule of the Act to Item 49.
He added that the law remained what it had been -a ban on hawking/preaching in commercial buses- as against a ban on preaching in the streets by individuals or organisations as claimed.
“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.
“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”, his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs said on Monday.
The leader stressed that the bill did not outlaw street preaching, adding that the whole essence of the proscription of hawking or preaching in commercial buses was for the safety of travellers.
“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.
“The bill is not an initiative of the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele. 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”, his office stated.
However, Bamidele said the amendment process was ongoing and could still accommodate more views “in the spirit of democracy”, urging stakeholders to channel their concerns to the appropriate institutions before the completion of the process.
In the amended bill, which was passed on July 14, motorists are to pay fines up to N100,000 for traffic offences.
Stiffer penalties await disobedience to traffic lights, road signs and general markings, all of which now attract a fine of N100,000.
Similarly, driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances attracts a fine of N100,000 on conviction.
Motorists who refuse to cooperate with FRSC officials during roadside breath tests carried out on reasonable suspicion of intoxication can be liable to a ₦50,000 fine, a six-month prison sentence, or both.
The proposed law also prohibits hawking inside commercial vehicles or making noise to disturb the peace of fellow passengers under the guise of trading or passing messages.
Offenders caught hawking or trading inside commercial buses will pay a fine of N50,000, according to the provisions of the bill.
The bill also targets speeding and dangerous driving. Under the extant law, speed limit violations attract modest fines, but the new bill jacks such offences up to a fine of ₦100,000.
In the same vein, reckless driving will attract a ₦100,000 fine, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, depending on the circumstances of the offence.
The bill was passed as part of measures to strengthen the operations of the FRSC and reduce accidents on the nation’s highways.