Dr. Rasheedat Adetoun Oke-Olaniyan is a highly resourceful Nigerian. She is at once a certified counsellor, marriage and family therapist, chartered management consultant and a creative school proprietor. She has spent several years years doing work that most people only talk about–rebuilding lives, restoring families and raising a generation of young Nigerians who are emotionally intelligent, resillient, and ready to lead. Shuttling between Harrowgate, UK and Lagos, Nigeria, her impact is truly phenomenal.

Dr. Oke-Olaniyan is the co- founder of Dastia Academy — formally known as Daarus Salam Tahfidh International Academy — alongside her husband, in Ikotun, Lagos. What began as a modest six-student vision grew into a thriving institution which is distinguished not merely by academic performance but by a curriculum built around emotional wellness, character formation and leadership development.

She is also the founder of Froyal Amity Academy, further cementing her identity as an institution builder with a clear and consistent philosophy: that true education addresses the whole person, mind, character, and potential.

Under her leadership, these institutions have become spaces where young people do not just learn , they are transformed.

Dr. Oke-Olaniyan’s counselling journey began at M-Solution Institute in Nigeria, the foundation upon which she has built one of the most robust therapeutic profiles in her field. She holds a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, an Advanced Diploma in Counselling, and a Diploma in Counselling, all from the Attitude Developmental Institute of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

She is a Certified Marriage Mentor and Relationship Coach, a Certified Master Mentor and Relationship Coach (Institute for Marriage & Family Affairs, USA), and a Certified Marriage Counsellor. Her counselling and coaching practice cover individuals, couples and families, with a particular gift for navigating marital relationships, adolescent development and emotional crisis. For her, therapy is not a transaction, it is a covenant of trust.

Academically, Dr. Oke-Olaniyan holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), both in Humanitarian Social Entrepreneurship, from the Roxbourg Institute of Social Entrepreneurship, Switzerland. Her intellectual formation uniquely positions her at the intersection of human services and strategic leadership.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Specialists UK (FIMS) (conferred in June 2020), a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants Nigeria, and a Chartered Management Consultant awarded by the Chartered Institute of Management Consultants (CIMC) in July 2021. These are not honorary titles; they are hard-won recognitions of demonstrated excellence in professional practice and leadership.

The professional community has consistently recognised Dr. Oke-Olaniyan’s impact. She is the recipient of the IMS Business Club Award of Leadership Excellence (Institute of Management Specialists UK, December 2021), the Award of Excellence in Coaching (Chartered Institute of Mentoring and Coaching Nigeria, CIMCN), the Award of Icon of Mentorship (Chartered Institute of Corporate Mentoring and Coaching Nigeria, CICMCN), and the Africa Business Club Leadership Excellence Award (2021).

Beyond individual honours, she serves as the Coordinator of the Lekki/Ajah Usrah Unit for The Criterion — the Association of Women in Business and Profession — a role that speaks to her standing as a trusted leader among accomplished women.

Dr. Oke-Olaniyan is the founder of the Global Generational Summit (GGS) , a platform that speaks to her conviction that the challenges of today must be addressed through intentional, cross-generational dialogue and action. The Summit reflects her broader vision: a world where knowledge, values, and leadership are passed down with purpose.

Through the MASROF Charity Initiatives, she has channelled her professional skills into direct service to vulnerable communities, providing counselling, psychosocial support, and mentorship to those who would otherwise go without. Her humanitarian work is not performative. It is personal, consistent, and rooted in a deep conviction that dignity is non-negotiable.

Currently dividing her time between Harrowgate, UK and Lagos, Nigeria, she also continues to serve as a General Teaching Assistant and 1-to-1 Learning Support professional with Classroom Support UK, walking alongside children with Autism, ADHD, and complex behavioural needs with the same intentionality she has brought to every stage of her career.

It is in recognition of her Sterling Accomplishments in the Development, Management and Delivery of Quality Education in Nigeria that Dr. Rasheedat Adetoun Oke-Olaniyan is deemed worthy to be conferred with the Woman of Merit Gold Award.