Above
is the picture of Julius Berger himself, the world renowned
construction magnate whose construction company - Julius Berger - built
most of our bridges and many Nigerian edifices.
He was born in
1862 in Zempelburg, a small town
in Germany. His father sent him to
Berlin at the age of 12 to take up an apprenticeship with a leather
wholesale firm. He returned to the family transport business three years
later in 1878. He soon found himself more frequently transporting
building materials instead of grain. It was this transportation of
building materials that led to his becoming increasingly familiar with
the construction industry.
When he had learned enough, he
switched professions and started his own construction company named
after him. Julius Berger came into Nigeria in August 1965. The first
bridge they constructed in Nigeria was Eko Bridge in Lagos. They also
built the 3rd Mainland Bridge. He died in 1942.
