Despite topping their group in the Cameroon tournament, Augustine Eguavoen’s men were eliminated in the round of 16 by the Carthage Eagles.
Youssef Msakni’s second-half strike decided the contest in Garoua, while Alex Iwobi was sent off in the gruelling fixture.
The former Leicester City midfielder said that disappointment is now driving his as they face Tunisia in a top-of-the-table clash in Fez.
"It was a painful loss in 2019 but it gives us more confidence," Ndidi told the media.
"You know like when we talked about it, it was the guys were like really prepared for it because we don't want to think about what happened (in 2019).
"We just want to face this one because definitely it is a new team with good players, so we're talking about it because it's not going to happen to us hopefully."
Nigeria’s most recent AFCON success came in South Africa in 2013, when Sunday Mba’s solitary goal against Burkina Faso secured a third continental title.
Eric Chelle’s side are now targeting a fourth African crown after narrowly missing out at Cote d’Ivoire 2023.
With none of the current squad having lifted the trophy before, Ndidi remains optimistic that his teammates can rise to the occasion and set a new standard for the nation.
He continued: "It will be a great achievement for us, yeah you said none of the guys were part of the AFCON group that won the AFCON (in 2019).
"But it's about growth, about new generation and we're actually here to set our own standards, we're here to achieve our goals, that's why we're here."
Ahead of Nigeria’s opening match against Tanzania, football icon Yakubu Ayegbeni visited the Super Eagles at their Fez camp to boost morale.
The Besiktas star praised the initiative, believing the gesture can inspire the squad and help drive them toward success.
"It is very important for former internationals to be part of the group, not just to be around us, but to speak positively about the team and give us confidence," Ndidi added.
"When they talk well about us, it boosts belief because many of these players grew up looking up to them.
"They are now in a different phase of their lives, and what the team needs is encouragement and positivity.
"Coming into the camp, offering support and speaking highly of the squad gives us more confidence and really motivates the team."
He also noted that the Super Eagles remain unruffled by the barrage of negative comments on social media, insisting that such criticism will not affect their focus.
Ndidi stated: "Of course not, there will always be negative comments in social media even when you do well so it is not affecting the group is not affecting anyone.
"We're here to play football, we know where we stand and we know what we want to achieve so our main focus is the tournaments and achieving greatly in this tournament.
"Whatever comes on social media is just people's opinion so our focus is just for the next game. We are here to represent over like 200 million citizens of the world also different Nigerians from all over the world."
Nigeria are unbeaten in their last seven AFCON group-stage matches, with their most recent defeat coming against Madagascar in 2019. They have also won their last three group games by a single-goal margin.
Meanwhile, Tunisia have remained unbeaten in their second group match in each of their last five AFCONS, last losing this fixture 3-0 to Cote d’Ivoire in 2013.
