The deportation of West African migrants from Nigeria occurred following a January 1983 executive order from President Shehu Shagari, which forced illegal immigrants to leave the country or face arrest.
Therefore, once the migrants reached Benin, the way out was restricted and they were forced to remain in the port of Cotonou, the country's seat of government, attempting to find a boat to Ghana.
[2] A type of cheap matted woven nylon zipped tote bags, used by the migrants to move their belongings, got the moniker "Ghana Must Go" during the migration.
[6][7] In 2020, New York-based Nigerian photographer Obinna Obioma used the bags to fashion clothing and other items in an exhibition on migration titled Anyi N'Aga ("We Are Going" in Igbo).
In Germany it is called the "Türkenkoffer" (Turkish suitcase), in the US, the "Chinatown tote", in Guyana, the "Guyanese Samsonite", and in various other places, the "Refugee Bag".