Media personality and former host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Frank Edoho, has said his exit from the popular television quiz show was not the result of a sack, contrary to reports at the time.
Edoho explained that the show was forced to end after its major sponsor withdrew its support following a financial penalty imposed by the Federal Government.
The television personality made the clarification while speaking on an episode of *The KK Show*, published on Sunday.
He said a newspaper report that claimed he had been dropped from the program was inaccurate, insisting that his absence from the show after its relaunch followed failed negotiations over his proposed role in the program.
Edoho became one of the most recognisable television hosts in Nigeria through *Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?*, which he presented for more than a decade.
Before his television career gained national attention, Edoho said he had spent four years working with Radio Nigeria, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
He explained that while radio gave him valuable professional experience, television brought him much greater public recognition.
“I was on radio. I worked for Radio Nigeria—that’s the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria—for four years,” he said.
“You know, once you can work on radio for four years but not get as much popularity or fame as you would if you worked on TV for one month.”
Edoho said his association with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? came to an end after the programme’s sponsor, which had supported it for about 10 years, withdrew from the show.
He said the sponsor faced a major financial obligation after the Federal Government imposed a fine over a corporate matter.
“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,” he said.
According to him, the penalty affected the company’s ability to continue funding the program.
“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.
“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,’” he said.
The withdrawal of the sponsor created uncertainty around the future of the program and opened the door for discussions with potential new sponsors.
Edoho said he saw an opportunity to secure a greater role in the program because of his long association with it and his belief that he had become an important part of its identity.
He said he entered negotiations after learning that other companies were interested in sponsoring the show.
“I went into negotiation because we heard that other sponsors were interested, and I wanted to be an executive producer,” he said.
“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.”
However, the negotiations did not end as he had hoped.
Edoho said disagreements emerged during the discussions, and he eventually did not appear when the programme was relaunched under a new sponsor.
His absence, he said, led to media reports that he had been dropped from 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. And of course, they would draw conclusions based on that,” he explained.
Edoho said he responded to the report at the time because he felt the account did not properly reflect what had happened.
“So they announced that I was dropped from the show, which was false then. I gave my statement. I said, ‘Okay, you know what? This is it.’ I felt I was thrown under the bus after all the years I put in,” he said.
Edoho’s clarification comes years after his first stint on the program, which made him a household name among Nigerian television viewers.
He hosted Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? from 2004 to 2017, becoming closely associated with the show’s format, catchphrases and tense moments as contestants answered questions for cash prizes.
The program, based on the international Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? format, became one of Nigeria’s most popular television game shows after its launch.
Contestants were required to answer a series of questions of increasing difficulty, with the chance to win substantial cash prizes.
The show attracted a large audience and remained on Nigerian television for years, with Edoho serving as its most prominent host during its early and most successful period.
The program went on a temporary break in 2017 after 13 years on air, following the withdrawal of its major sponsor, MTN Nigeria.
Edoho resigned from the show in September 2017. Reports surrounding his departure, however, suggested that he had been dropped as the program prepared for a return under a new sponsor.
The show eventually returned in 2022 after a five-year break, with a revamped format, a new cash prize structure and new sponsors.
Edoho also returned to the program in 2022, renewing his association with the show after the long break.
His latest comments therefore provide additional details about the events surrounding the earlier transition, particularly the role of sponsorship and negotiations over his involvement.
The media personality’s account also highlights the major role sponsorship plays in the survival of television programs in Nigeria, where many entertainment and broadcast productions depend heavily on corporate backing.
When major sponsors withdraw, programs can face financial difficulties, changes in ownership or management, and even temporary or permanent suspension.
For Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, the loss of its long-standing sponsor resulted in a major change in its journey, while negotiations over the show’s future also affected the position of its well-known host.
Edoho’s latest explanation seeks to correct what he considers a wrong impression that he was simply removed from the program.
Instead, he said his departure was linked to the end of the original sponsorship arrangement and failed negotiations over his proposed role in the show’s next phase.
After years of being identified with one of Nigeria’s most popular television programs, Edoho said the way his departure was reported left him feeling betrayed.