The global outbreak of COVID-19 and the various government policies designed to curtail its spread affected local ways of doing business across the world. Like in other countries affected by the virus, the Nigerian government imposed a partial lockdown in key states of the federation; recommended social distancing and made compulsory the wearing of face masks in public spaces in a bid to contain the virus. These precautionary measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 had destabilizing implications for the country's small businesses that were suddenly compelled to close shop or work from home. This preferred government approach was particularly disruptive to small entrepreneurs in the informal sector whose livelihood is tied to their daily or weekly incomes. Against this background, this study explores the varieties of ways in which the Nigerian small enterprises, specifically those based in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, responded to the economic disruption occasioned by COVID-19 containment protocol. Undoubtedly, this particular area was gravely affected since economic activities are largely dependent on different transactions in and around tertiary institutions, government establishments, as well as their allied industries. Drawing on oral testimonies and through participant observation in the study area conducted between April and December 2020, this study foregrounds the various survival strategies adopted by operators of small businesses and their implications on the economy, as well as containment, of COVID-19 in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria.