Naija News, a renowned news media platform, has become an household name when media organisations come into play.

This platform is known for churning out exclusively written stories, in-depth analysis on topical issues and ‘breaking’ news stories even before they ‘break.’

The publication takes a neutral editorial stance in its analysis of political and economic issues as it believes in ‘the value of delivering verified and undiluted news.

In an era where every Tom, Dick and Harry now call themselves ‘journalist’ after putting up a blog to publish fake, sensational and unverified news, Naija News has been able to challenge the ‘big boys’ during its five years in the industry.

Who is the brain behind this platform that has been able to shake the length and breadth of Nigeria when it comes to news reportage?

We sat down with Olawale Opemipo Adeniyi, the founder of Polance Media, the parent company of Naija News, to discuss how he has been able to build such an outstanding platform within a short time.

“Most times you have to sacrifice speed to verify news content so as not to join the bandwagon in spreading unverified news in these times when nations are grappling with insecurity,” Adeniyi said when asked how he has been able to build a viable news company in a period when fake news have led to global pandemonium.

Mr Opemipo, who is a graduate of Business Administration and has a Product Manager certificate, disclosed that quality over quantity has become his watchword in the past few years.

The media mogul stated that the world as we know it is changing and the way things were done few years back constantly changes.

“Since the emergence of COVID-19, climate change, recession and others, the world continues to change and we as a media organisation have to continue to evolve or we would be left behind.

“Technology changes everyday so as news reportage. There was a time when we (the media) set the agenda but now social media users set the agenda, dictating what we have to report,” Opemipo noted.

He however stated that Naija News has continued to act as a gatekeeper, where news are filtered and verified before publishing to its over two million monthly readers.

Though a ‘business guy’, the love for news has pushed Olawale Adeniyi into getting a Digital journalism certification from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, amongst many others.

The publisher stated that although he had worked and still work with top professionals at Naija News, his love for news pushed him into getting certifications and extra hours learning Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and others that would be needed in running a successful platform.

“I don’t just want to be that boss that sits down and delegate to my staff. I want to be involved, I want to know, I want to acquire more knowledge.

“This has helped me over the years and still help me in keeping this platform at the very top.

“To get an average of 7 to 12 million views monthly, you have to be doing something outstanding,” Adeniyi said.

The tech-savvy publisher has been able to take his ability outside the Naija News platform.

He has been credited with developing and building many top online platforms in Nigeria today.