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  • “For Julius Berger, There Is No Challenge That Has Been Too Big, And No Job Too Complex”

    • Says JBN Chairman Mutiu Sunmonuas the company celebrates 50th anniversary as a Nigerian registered business concern

    The Chairman of Nigeria’s leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and its Managing Director Mr Mutiu Sunmonu and Engr. Dr. Lars Richter respectively, has in a joint video that has gone viral, celebrated the nation’s most iconic engineering brand as the company marks its golden jubilee as a Nigerian registered business corporation.The year 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary since Julius Berger’s incorporation as a Nigerian company.

    According to Sunmonu, while the physical celebration has reasonably been put on hold due to the advent, concerns and effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the company is using the occasion to acknowledge the epoch-making milestone in the company’s history and to reflect on the meaningful contributions Julius Berger has made to Nigeria’s development.

    The articulate chairman who strategically started his corporate career as a First Class graduate from the prestigious University of Lagos, and who also badges the Presidential honours award, Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON, gave particulars to the company’s contributions when he said that Julius Berger has offered content to the nation’s development “through the construction of durable, long-lasting buildings and critical infrastructure, which serve as the backbone to economic growth and daily life”.Sunmonu added that Julius Berger has also contributed over the past 50 years“to the livelihood of one of the largest private work forces in the country, by way of secure, long-term employment and professional development of our staff”. This, he said, was in addition to the company’s community development initiatives “resulting from [Julius Berger’s] corporate social responsibility activities in the areas of health, education and youth sports and critical response measures enacted”.

    The Chairman of Julius Berger, in his message proudly said that for the company, no challenge has been too big, and no job has been too complex to accomplish. He said: “Julius Berger has constructed some of Nigeria’s most iconic structures and demanding engineering feats; project after project, we have proven ourselves to be a reliable partner equipped with the technical know how and organizational edge to deliver quality solutions”.

    While stating that there is no doubt that the arrival of COVID-19 to Nigeria brought on new and unexpected challenges, requiring sacrifices from all as well as significant adjustments to our norms, Sunmonu, however, confidently added that the disruptive pandemic “has also served as an important reminder of the importance of community and the centrality of corporate responsibility to our value system as a company”.

    Julius Berger’s Managing Director, Engr. Dr. Lars Richter, also in the joint video further reinforced the Chairman’s message saying that “in the face of COVID-19, [Julius Berger] has strengthened its stance as a pillar of support to Nigeria, to the Government, to healthcare providers and social impact institutions… and to the company’s communities through various donations and contributions”.

    In the words of the cerebral Engr. Richter who substantively holds a PhD in civil engineering, “…with innovation as a key value we have continued to find creative solutions, remaining quick to adapt in order to keep delivering through remote working, increases in PPE and safety protocols and the re purposing of resources to promote public health and support relief measures”. Richter with palpably inspiring professional and managerial confidence further said that: “Julius Berger at 50, celebrates not only the past five decades of excellence achieved, but in the context of our current circumstances, [Julius Berger] celebrates our resiliency as a company and our unrelenting commitments to advancement and progress – no matter the challenge”.

    Richter also used the occasion to celebrate the company’s dedicated staff, whom he described as “the core to [Julius Berger’s] continued success”. It would be recalled that Richter, at the company’s AGM in June, had equated the necessity to save the jobs and means of livelihood of all Julius Berger’s workers with their right to protected and sustainable good health. Richter in the 50th anniversary joint video with the company’s Chairman also paid warm tribute to all of the company’s partners, clients, host communities as well as to the company’s faithful shareholders.

    With brimming optimism, Richter said, “…This moment in our history serves as a springboard towards the future, where we will continue leading in local content and in innovation, for next level solutions to help build the country and fulfill the aspirations of our clients, staff, partners and communities”, adding that “Julius Berger together with its group of subsidiaries will continue to stand apart in its offerings of made-in-Nigeria solutions that meet global standards for excellence – be it in design and engineering, construction, port operations, windows and doors or furniture manufacturing”.

    According to the Managing Director, “…with our unwavering dedication to excellence, partnership and quality, we look forward to adding another 50 years to our inspirational success”.

    Mr Sunmonu and Richter in unison thanked Nigerians for their trust and support and for celebrating with Julius Berger on the company’s 50th anniversary.

  • Covid-19: Julius Berger Expands Medical Donations To More Zaria And Kano Communities On AKR Project Corridor

    Covid-19: Julius Berger Expands Medical Donations To More Zaria And Kano Communities On AKR Project Corridor

    ….as construction giant also donates personal protective equipment to frontline agency, the Nigerian Immigration Service

    The flagship of Nigeria’s engineering construction industry, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, in consistent fulfillment of its pledge to progressively sustain its assistance to the government and communities in the efforts to contain the spread of covid-19 and save lives, has practicably continued to extend its donation of necessary hospital supplies and palliatives to communities and hospitals in the country.
    The company which recently took its hopital supplies donations to the Umaru Musa Yar’dua Memorial Hospital at Wuse in Niger State and also to the Primary Health Care Centre at Jere, Kargako Local Government Area in Kaduna State, during the week again extended its corporate social responsibility initiative to more communities and Primary Health Care Centres along the Abuja-Kano Road corridor.
    The Julius Bergerhospital palliatives donation team from the Abuja-Kano Road project, donated more hospital beds, this time to Jaji Primary Health Care Centre, Labar Health Clinic, Zango Aya Primary Health Care Centre, Namadi Sambo Primary Health Care Centre, Sanusi Dantata General Hospital, Bebeji Kano State; and the Kadawa Basic Health Centre in Garun Mallam Local Government Area of Kano State.
    The Julius Berger hospital palliatives donation team also made a donation of personal protective equipment to a frontline agency of the government in the determined fight to contain the covid-19 pandemic, the Nigerian Immigration Service.
    According to the Group Head of Media Relation of Julius Berger Plc, Prince Moses Duku, ‘the executive management of Julius Berger believes that, like the hardworking front-line medical personal at the nation’s hospitals, the officers and men of the Nigerian Immigration Service who man the entry and exit points into and out of the country, are also frontline warriors who need every assistance and protection all well-meaning citizens, whether individual or corporate, can offer them in their heroic and patriotic work to contain the covid-19 threat’.
    The Julius Berger team was received at Jaji by the Head of the primary health care facility, Iliyasu Magaji; and at Labar by the Head of the Clinic, Zubairu Hamza as well as by the Village Head of Labar Rufai Dikko. The Village Head of Zango Aya, Shehu Idris and the Head of the Primary Health Care Centre, Danjuma Bako were also on hand to receive the Julius Berger CSR Team. At the Namadi Sambo Health Care Centre, the head of the centre, Hudu Wada received the Julius Berger team. Upon arriving at the Sanusi Dantata General Hospital in Bebeji Kano, the Executive Chairman of Bebeji Local Government Area was personally on ground to receive the Julius Berger Team.
    At all stops, it was commendation and encomium for the engineering construction giants. The local government chairmen, hospital management boards, and community leaders all happily thanked and prayed that God would bless the business fortunes Julius Bergermuch more for the company’s proactive, sensitive and practically relevant corporate social responsibility gesture. While the Chairman of Bebeji Local Government area called the Julius Berger CSR initiative a ‘cordial’ gesture, the Kano State Hospitals Management Board refer to it as a ‘wonderful effort’. The Zazzau Emirate Council in a letter of appreciation to the company also described the Julius Berger CSR contribution as a ‘kind gesture’ aimed at ‘promoting health care service in the Zaria Local Government area’. On its part, the Zango Aya Ward Community Development Committee in its letter of Appreciation commended Julius Berger for its ‘efforts and foresight’ promising to properly utilize and maintain the donated hospital items.
    It would be recalled that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, since the outbreak of the deadly corona virus in the country, has consistently lived up to the company’s Managing Director, Dr Lars Richter’s CSR pledge to continue to assist the government and people of Nigeria to the best of its ability in the fight to contain the spread and impact of covid-19.
    In the fight to roll back covid-19, Julius Berger’s corporate social responsibility contributions has ranged from food supplies, personal protective equipment, necessary clinical beds and mattresses as well as an ambulance vehicle, amongst others to Local Councils, communities, hospitals and government-nominated covid-19 isolation centres across the country.

    L-R: The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Sunday James, receiving donated Personal Protection items from Julius Berger’s Engr. Mohammed Usman in Abuja recently

    Julius Berger’s Yusuf Ibrahim (R) and the Executive Chairman of Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State, Hon. Ali Namadi at the Sanusi Dantata General Hospital, Bebeji during Julius Berger Hospital Palliatives Donation visit to Bebeji recently.

  • We Got 3 Top Priority Projects through Due Process”– Julius Berger MD, Tells House of Reps Committee on Works

    We Got 3 Top Priority Projects through Due Process”– Julius Berger MD, Tells House of Reps Committee on Works

    [contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]The managing Director of Nigeria’s leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, has stated that the highly reliable company was awarded the contracts for three top priority projects of the Federal Government, namely, the 2nd Niger Brige, Abuja-Kano Road and Lagos-Shagamu Expressway projects,following due process of award.
    Dr Richter made the assertion on Thursday at the National Assembly Abuja during a hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Works investigating what the Chairman of the Committee, Honourable Abubakar Kabir Abubakar, described as the “the slow pace of work on the ongoing federal road projects”.
    The Chairman of the House Works Committee, Honourable Abubakar Kabir Abubakar, set the hearing rolling when he delivered the agenda of the hearing as an inquiry into what procurement process Julius Berger went through for the award of the contracts for the projects; the cost each of the projects were awarded for; and completion periods at which the projects were contracted to be delivered.
    A member of the Committee, Honourable Kaojewhile acknowledging that Julius Berger is a renown engineering construction contractor in Nigeria, had said the House of Representatives for which the Works Committee acts at the public hearing, has legislative, appropriate as well as oversight functions over the prudent and successful execution of capital projects in the country. This, he said, is the basis for the public hearing on the projects at issue.
    Another member of the Committee, Honourable Johnson from Lagos State was also interested in the commencement and expected dates of completion and delivery for the three projects.
    At the hearing, a rather well comported Julius Berger MD, Dr. Lars Richter, very respectfully but emphatically denied a suggestion that Julius Berger did not get the contracts by due process. According to Richter, Julius Berger lawfully bidded for the projects, after which the rest of the contract award process remained the statutory work and responsibility of the Ministry of Works to handle. Responding further on the issue of due process for the awards, Richter said the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) duly issued letters of No Objection for the projects as required by extant procurement law.
    In response to the House Works Committee Chairman’s statement that the procurement process for projects in Nigeria is of three types, namely, Selective, Competitive and Direct procurement, Engr. Dr. Lars Richter said: “We are an engineering contracting company, and as a going business concern, we reasonably bid for projects, but we are not by law part of the official procurement process that is the statutory duty of the Ministry.
    Continuing further, Dr Richter said: “It is the Ministry of Works that receives a Letter of No Objection to any contract; not our company. Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) itself vets the rates contractors submit to the Ministry, and the Ministry again takes the rates vetted by the BPP to the Federal Executive Council for approval by the President in Council. Julius Berger is not at all entitled to a say in the process apart from the submission of our bid for a project with the Ministry. In the circumstance, I therefore cannot and did not say Julius Berger did not follow due process of award for the projects. We lawfully bidded for the jobs and were duly awarded the projects.”
    A high point of Thursday’s hearing was Dr. Richter’s confident assurance that in all the projects, Julius Berger was, technically speaking, working assiduously within the schedules of panned works, and even working ahead of of time in certain scheduled works.
    The Julius Berger MD was by a motion carried by the Committee put on oath before he spoke at the hearing, and by another motion moved by the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Julius Berger was asked to go back and put forward to the Committee a formally signed presentation to the Committee on the three projects, the subject matter of the hearing.
    The Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Honourable Abubakar Kabir Abubakar, thereafter adjourned the public hearing sine die.