Popular media personality, Frank Edoho, has revealed that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire did not end because he was sacked, as widely reported at the time, but because the programme’s major sponsor pulled out after being hit with a hefty Federal Government fine.
Edoho, who hosted the popular quiz show for 13 years, made the revelation while speaking on an episode of The KK Show published on Sunday.
The former host dismissed reports that he was dropped from the programme, insisting that the show’s initial exit from television was triggered by the sponsor’s withdrawal.
According to him, the sponsor had backed the programme for about a decade before a regulatory penalty from the Federal Government reportedly put the company under severe financial pressure.
“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 said.
He explained that the sponsor was fined over a corporate matter and was subsequently forced to redirect huge funds towards settling the penalty.
“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 recalled.
‘I WANTED A STAKE IN THE SHOW’
Edoho said he later entered negotiations to become an executive producer and secure a stake in the programme after learning that new sponsors were interested in reviving it.
He explained that after spending years building the show and his profile as its host, he believed he had become an important part of the programme.
“I went into negotiation because we heard that other sponsors were interested, and I wanted to be an executive producer.
“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,” he said.
However, the negotiations reportedly collapsed after disagreements between the parties.
According to Edoho, his absence when the programme eventually returned under a new sponsor sparked reports that he had been dropped.
“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 said.
‘I WAS THROWN UNDER THE BUS’
Edoho maintained that the claim that he had been sacked was false, saying the report left him feeling betrayed after years of commitment to the programme.
“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 first hosted Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2004 and remained the face of the programme until 2017.
The show went on a temporary break in 2017 after its sponsor, MTN Nigeria, withdrew its support.
His departure from the programme at the time fuelled reports that he had been dropped ahead of its planned return under a new sponsor.
However, the popular television personality eventually returned to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2022, when the show resumed after a five-year hiatus with revamped prizes and new sponsors.
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