Veteran Nigerian television host Frank Edoho has revealed the reason the popular quiz show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, was taken off the air after years of captivating audiences across the country.

Speaking during an appearance on the KK Show, Edoho disclosed that the programme came to an end after its long-time sponsor withdrew financial support following a hefty fine imposed by the Federal Government.

According to him, the sponsor, which had funded the show for about a decade, was forced to discontinue its partnership due to the financial burden of paying what he described as an "incredible sum of money" to the government.

Edoho explained that the unexpected development made it impossible for the company to continue sponsoring the award-winning television programme

"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, but our sponsor stayed with us for a decade sponsoring the show. Then I think the Federal Government fined them based on some industry issue. I think it was a punitive measure for one corporate thing, 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,'" Edoho said.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was one of Nigeria's most successful television game shows, with Edoho serving as its longest-running host and becoming one of the country's most recognisable television personalities through the programme.