LAGOS, NIGERIA — Seasoned broadcaster and television host, Frank Edoho, has set the record straight regarding his exit from the iconic quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, clarifying that the programme was forced off the air by the withdrawal of its primary corporate sponsor following a massive regulatory fine imposed by the Federal Government.
Speaking on a recent episode of The KK Show, Edoho dismissed widespread media reports claiming he was sacked by the show’s producers, describing the allegations as false and speculative.
Reflecting on his career trajectory, the veteran anchor recalled spending four years with Radio Nigeria under the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) before transitioning to television, where the hit game show brought him widespread fame.
“I was on radio. I worked for Radio Nigeria that’s the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria—for four years,” Edoho stated. “You know, once you can work on radio for four years, you don’t get as much popularity or fame as you would if you worked on TV for one month. So Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? sort of came to an end when our sponsor withdrew. I don’t know if I can mention brand names here, but our sponsor stayed with us for a decade sponsoring the show.”
Edoho revealed that the primary sponsor was hit with a steep financial penalty by federal regulators over a corporate compliance matter, making continued funding of the multimillion-Naira production unsustainable.
“I think the Federal Government fined them based on some industry… I think it was just like a punitive measure for one corporate thing that happened,” he explained. “I can’t go into details, but that affected the sponsorship of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? So they said, ‘Hey guys, we can’t do this anymore based on the fact that we have to pay an incredible sum of money back to the Federal Government.'”
Following the primary sponsor’s exit, Edoho sought to transition into an executive leadership role on the show as new investors showed interest. However, contract negotiations broke down, leading to his temporary departure and sparking unverified reports of his dismissal.
“I went into negotiation because we heard that other sponsors were interested, and I wanted to be an executive producer,” Edoho added. “I wanted to have a stake in it because I feel that I built myself up to the extent that I assumed I was an asset to the show. We were having differences in negotiation. I think it was one newspaper that went and said that I was dropped based on the fact that, with the relaunch of the show under the new sponsor, I wasn’t anywhere to be found. So they announced that I was dropped from the show, which was false. I felt I was thrown under the bus after all the years I put in.”
Edoho hosted Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? for 13 years from its inception in 2004 until 2017 before returning as anchor when the show resumed in 2022 following a five-year hiatus.
