The Deputy Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs, Thomas Mbomba has explained why his youthful days at the Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon will always be memorable for him.

Appearing before the Appointments Committee, Monday, the nominee informed the panel he once served as a bodyguard of the Chief Vandal during his stay at Vandal City.

He served as a bodyguard for one and a half years. Parts of his role as a bodyguard was to escort the Chief Vandal wherever he went, to offer protection as well as carry his belongings.

This required him to carry a weapon with him wherever the Chief Vandal was present. According to him the presence of the gun signified the authority of the Chief Vandal.

Mr Mbomba further revealed that due to the role he played, his lecturers had to make time for him outside normal class hours in order to catch up with his studies.

“The work of a bodyguard to the Chief Vandal is not different from the bodyguard work we know. Some of us here have police guards so wherever the Chief Vandal will go, you follow him. If he is going to a lecture, you follow him and you carry his (belongings).

“At a point, they will arrange with the lecturers so at a special time, we take it one-on-one with the lecturers. You will be carrying the gun, we have something like the olden day gun, (as a symbol of authority for the Chief vandal),” he stated.

All these extra-curricular activities he was engaged in, he noted did not have a negative impact on his academic performance.

According to him, despite the number of times he had to escort the Chief Vandal to lectures while forfeiting his, being a bodyguard was enjoyable.

Hearing the role he played got Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka curious to find out why he didn’t vie for the Chief Vandal position.

According to Mr Mbomaba, he was not spiritually fortified to occupy the Chief Vandal position. This was confirmed after consultations with the Vandal gods, thus he was chosen to be the body guard.

The reason he provided for not going for the position of Chief Vandal got every member of the Committee laughing.

He added that his physical stature landed him the body guard role.

“I was not up to the spiritual status of a Chief Vandal. My role was a body guard.

“We have Father Bacchus so they consult him. So when they go to consult Father Bacchus, they have a group of people who can also speak to Father Bacchus, you do whatever they come and tell you, that is what the gods have spoken so you have to take it. So, concerning me, when they did the consultation, they said because of my body topography, I was going to be a body guard and that was all,” he narrated.

In response, Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu who doubles as first Deputy Speaker, advised the nominee to get back to their alma mater and right the wrong since this was not the legacy left by their predecessors.

“When did this start? Because our Chief Vandals were group leaders and we didn't have to have bodyguards carrying things around them. Please tell your young people that is not the vandalism we started. You stop your own lectures to follow somebody, what kind of vandalism is that?” he said.

A Chief Vandal is a traditional figure who represents the student body of the Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana.