Nigeria, Dec. 18 -- It's rare to find a multibillionaire who hasn't had nasty battles. Yet, as battles go, the fight between Aliko Dangote, the founder of the Dangote Refinery, and the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream andDownstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, is among the most spectacular that Africa's wealthiest man has had to fight in recent times.

It won't be a surprise if the resignation of Ahmed (and the chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe) on Wednesday marks a pause, rather than an end, because the problems run very deep.

Dangote's cement and noodle wars were rough. They earned him many scars and lifelong bitter enemies. Yet, in retrospect, they look lik...