Julius Berger is a Nigerian
construction
Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...
company, headquartered in
Abuja, with additional permanent locations in
Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
and
Uyo.
The company is represented across Nigeria in structural engineering and infrastructure works, and in southern Nigeria through domestic and international oil and gas industry projects. It is known for constructing most of Nigeria's infrastructure, major expressways, and even some residential buildings for the
Chevron Nigeria headquarters in Lagos.
The company has been listed on the
Nigerian Stock Exchange
The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) now Nigerian Exchange Group is a Nigerian stock exchange founded in 1961 in Lagos. As of November 2019, it has a total of 161 listed companies, with 8 domestic companies on the premium board, 144 companies on the ...
since 1991. The construction business of Julius Berger is the heart of the Julius Berger Group. With 18,000 employees from close to 40 nations and clients from both Nigeria and the global oil and gas industry.
History
Julius Berger's presence in Nigeria dates back to 1965 when the firm won a tender to construct a ₦31.2 million second mainland bridge In Lagos. The project was a significant civil engineering endeavor because it was the first in the country to be built with pre-stressed concrete. The construction of the bridge was designed in phases with the first phase completed in 1969 and last phase completed in 1974. While working on the project, Berger undertook other projects in the country, a municipal water works project in Jos awarded by the government of
Benue-Plateau State was the firm's first construction project outside of Lagos State. This project involved building a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
to conserve rain water and building a dam, water treatment plant and tanks. The firm's efficiency in building the first phase of Eko bridge made it a top choice to repair the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
over
River Niger
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, ...
which had been damaged during the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. This project kept the company busy in Nigeria.
When the war ended, vehicular and shipping traffic in Lagos increased and additional road infrastructure such as Eko bridge did little to ease traffic congestion. To ease traffic congestion, the government awarded Berger additional road construction contracts, the projects and the Niger bridge made viable a permanent establishment in the country. The Lagos State projects included the construction
of the
Lagos - Badagry expressway,
Itoikin-Ikorudu-Epe single carriageway, and
ring roads and
Apapa - Oshodi and
Agege Motor Road. Gradually the firm and its blue B logo established a reputation in civil engineering works within the country, this coincided with a period that the federal government focused its attention on developing the country's
Trunk A road system. The firm was involved in constructing the 26 mile Lagos to Shagamu portion of Lagos to Ibadan expressway and
Jebba
Jebba town is a Yoruba and Nupe city in Kwara State, Nigeria. It has views of the River Niger and has an estimated population of 22,411 as of 2007. The name of the king of Jebba is Oba Abdulkadir Adebara.
Gallery
File:Canoeing on the Niger R ...
road bridge.
Julius Berger was registered in Nigeria prior to building the
Jos water works, in 1974. It sold 40% of its equity to Lagos and Benue-Plateau State governments and three years later sold an additional 20% to the public. After a cement armada caused chaos at Apapa port, the company was invited to build a new port at
Tin Can Island. In the 1970s and early 1980s, it was involved in the civil works at
Aladja
Aladja is a coastal town in Delta State, Nigeria. It is located on the bank of southern part of River Warri
The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is ...
and
Ajaokuta Steel complexes and the new federal capital territory,
Abuja.
Timeline
In August 1965, the company founded in Germany undertook its first project in Nigeria - the construction of the
Eko Bridge
Eko Bridge is one of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the others are the Third Mainland and Carter bridges. The bridge was built in 1975 and is the shortest of the three bridges linking Lagos Island to mainlaind.
Eko brid ...
in Lagos, which was approved by
Shehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), titled Turakin Sokoto from 1962, was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in ...
when he was a Minister of Works. In 1991 the company was floated on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as "Julius Berger Nigeria Plc".
In 2001 the company moved to its new head office in Abuja.
In 2010
Business World Magazine listed Julius Berger Nigeria Plc as Nigeria's leading construction company.
In 2012
Watertown Energy Ltd., a company of the
Nestoil Group acquired 10% of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc's shares, previously owned by
Bilfinger Berger GmbH, raising the company's Nigerian shareholding to 60.1%.
In October, 201
the company announces changes to the management structure including the appointment of a new managing director.
Major projects
The company built the
Eko Bridge
Eko Bridge is one of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the others are the Third Mainland and Carter bridges. The bridge was built in 1975 and is the shortest of the three bridges linking Lagos Island to mainlaind.
Eko brid ...
completed in 1968, the
Third Mainland Bridge
Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the others are the Eko and Carter bridges. It was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge located in Cairo was compl ...
completed in 1990 and the
Abuja Stadium completed in 2003.
Tin Can Island Port
Tin Can Island Port (TCIP) is located in Apapa, the port for the city of Lagos
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within ...
, commissioned in 1977.
Lagos Inner Ring Road, completed in 1979.
Ajaokuta Steel Plant, completed in 1990.
Itakpe – Ajaokuta Ore Railway, completed in 1990.
Abuja International Airport phase II, completed in 1997.
Central Bank of Nigeria Head Office, completed in 2002.
Uyo infrastructure and road works, ongoing since 2008.
First discharge drain built utilizing pipe-jacking technology in Nigeria, completed in 2011.
National Assembly phase III, completed in 2011.
Multiple projects,
Escravos GTL plant in southern Nigeria, commissioned in 2012.
Bonny Liquefied Natural Gas facility, multiple ongoing works since 1996.
Challawa Gorge Dam Karaye, completed in 1992
Awarded a contract to construct link roads to second Niger bridge(July 4, 2018)
Education
The organization operates
German School Abuja, and formerly operated
German School Lagos.
[schulprofil_2013.pdf]
Archive
. Deutsche Schule Abuja. Retrieved on 19 January 2015.
References
External links
*{{Official, http://www.julius-berger.com
Construction and civil engineering companies of Nigeria
Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1950
1950 establishments in Nigeria
Companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange
Economy of Abuja