Photo of the man we all know as Julius Berger, who built our bridges

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.