ERROR: DEFAULT CHARACTER SET = utf8mb4 COLLATE = utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci' at line 9

Problem
Trying to create some migrations as I am learning CI and keep getting the following error: 
---------
Running all new migrations...

[CodeIgniter\Database\Exceptions\DatabaseException]

You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')
) DEFAULT CHARACTER SET = utf8mb4 COLLATE = utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci' at line 9

at SYSTEMPATH/Database/BaseConnection.php:646

------------------
I have installed CI4 on a PopOS linux machine
mysql version: 8.0.34-0ubuntu0.22.04.1
PHP version: 8.1.2-1ubuntu2.14
I am a Codeigniter newbie and although I have coded for years in the past and I have been a DBA in the past my mysql is only fine. 
Background
- Learning how to do migrations
- Have setup the DB connection in App/config/Database.php as follows: 
    public array $default = [
        'DSN'          => '',
        'hostname'    => 'localhost',
        'username'    => 'xxxxx',
        'password'    => 'xxxxx',
        'database'    => 'ci4blog_db',
        'DBDriver'    => 'MySQLi',
        'DBPrefix'    => '',
        'pConnect'    => false,
        'DBDebug'      => true,
        'charset'      => 'utf8mb4',
        'DBCollat'    => 'utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci',
        'swapPre'      => '',
        'encrypt'      => false,
        'compress'    => false,
        'strictOn'    => false,
        'failover'    => [],
        'port'        => 3306,
        'numberNative' => false,
    ];

I have checked that the Character set in the DB are correct by doing the following: 
SELECT @@character_set_database, @@collation_database
--------------

+--------------------------+----------------------+
| @@character_set_database | @@collation_database |
+--------------------------+----------------------+
| utf8mb4                  | utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci  |
+--------------------------+----------------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

From what I can see I have the config matching the DB but yet, I still get the error above  
I have tried different Character set and collation combinations, and I always get the same error
I could avoid using migrations by writing all my sql myself but feel I would like to understand the power of the migrations before doing that. 
Any ideas welcome. 

Thanks you