Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday paid a surprised visit to his Bayelsa State counterpart, Seriake Dickson and met with him behind closed doors.

Wike, who later emerged from the meeting and exchanged banters with Dickson, said their discussions centred on fostering stronger ties between Rivers and Bayelsa.

He said they were concerned about the security of lives and property in the two states, South South integration, political and economic ties among others.

He commended Dickson for his outstanding performance, in transforming Bayelsa and expressed his desire to work closely with him to ensure regional integration, political and socio-economic development.

Wike, who was accompanied by the former Acting National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, particularly commended Dickson for building a state-of-the-art complex as a new Governor’s Office.

He said the PDP and the Ijaw nation were proud of Dickson’s performance in office, adding that had endeared him to the people of Niger Delta and beyond.

He said: “First of all, I’m not surprised because Dickson was prepared for the office and so you can see the results. When you are prepared to write an exam, certainly you will pass very well.

“And so what I have seen today, he has made PDP proud. He has also made the people of Bayelsa State, the Ijaw nation and Niger Delta proud. Look at the edifice, (new Governor’s Office), it was not there before.

“I’m so happy. In fact, I was telling him, that I thought we have an office but with what I have seen today, I think I’d better have a re-think and see what I’m going to do to my office when I return to Port Harcourt.”

On his part, Dickson expressed gratitude to Wike for the visit, noting it marked the beginning of closer interactions between the two sister states.

According Dickson, the duo also deliberated on how to intensify security and developmental issues in the best interests of the people of the South-South region and particularly Rivers and Bayelsa.