Nil pointer exception with clusterLogging.Spec.Collection empty

apiVersion: "logging.openshift.io/v1"
kind: "ClusterLogging"
metadata:
  name: "instance" 
  namespace: openshift-logging
spec:
  managementState: "Managed"

apiVersion: logging.openshift.io/v1
kind: ClusterLogForwarder
metadata:
  name: instance
  namespace: openshift-logging
spec:
  pipelines:
   - inputRefs:
     - audit
     outputRefs:
     - loki-external
     labels:
       job: openshift-audit
       clusterid: sno10
   - inputRefs:
     - application
     outputRefs:
     - loki-external
     labels:
       job: openshift-application
       clusterid: sno10
   - inputRefs:
     - infrastructure
     outputRefs:
     - loki-external
     labels:
       job: openshift-infrastructure
       clusterid: sno10
  outputs:
  - name: loki-external
    type: loki
    url: http://192.168.18.75:310

[akaris@workstation logging]$ oc apply -f configuring-cluster-logging-minimal-minimal.yaml
clusterlogging.logging.openshift.io/instance created
[akaris@workstation logging]$ oc apply -f configuring-log-forwarder.yaml
clusterlogforwarder.logging.openshift.io/instance created
[akaris@workstation logging]$ 

$ LOG_LEVEL=3 make run
(...)
{"_ts":"2024-01-18T11:18:45.623084752Z","_file:line":"internal/reconcile/rbac.go:37","_level":"3","_component":"cluster-logging-operator","_message":"Roles are the same skipping update"}
{"_ts":"2024-01-18T11:18:45.623126639Z","_file:line":"internal/reconcile/rbac.go:70","_level":"3","_component":"cluster-logging-operator","_message":"RoleBindings are the same skipping update"}
{"_ts":"2024-01-18T11:18:45.623159759Z","_file:line":"internal/k8shandler/clusterloggingrequest.go:107","_level":"3","_component":"cluster-logging-operator","_message":"Getting object","namespacedName":{"Namespace":"openshift-logging","Name":"logcollector-token"},"object":{"metadata":{"creationTimestamp":null}}}
panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference [recovered]
	panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
[signal SIGSEGV: segmentation violation code=0x1 addr=0x0 pc=0x15c31d8]

goroutine 351 [running]:
sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller).Reconcile.func1()
	/home/akaris/development/go/pkg/mod/sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.14.5/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:119 +0x1e5
panic({0x1737be0?, 0x28a4ed0?})
	/usr/lib/golang/src/runtime/panic.go:914 +0x21f
github.com/openshift/cluster-logging-operator/internal/k8shandler.(*ClusterLoggingRequest).generateCollectorConfig(0xc000927058)
	/home/akaris/development/cluster-logging-operator/internal/k8shandler/forwarding.go:48 +0x298
github.com/openshift/cluster-logging-operator/internal/k8shandler.(*ClusterLoggingRequest).CreateOrUpdateCollection(0xc000927058)
	/home/akaris/development/cluster-logging-operator/internal/k8shandler/collection.go:72 +0x2b2
github.com/openshift/cluster-logging-operator/internal/k8shandler.Reconcile(0xc0008d84e0, 0xc000898a80, {0x1c12238, 0xc000290180}, {0x7fb45823e568, 0xc000292770}, {0x1c099b0, 0xc0002d8340}, {0xc0003ca158, 0x6}, ...)
	/home/akaris/development/cluster-logging-operator/internal/k8shandler/reconciler.go:67 +0x81f
github.com/openshift/cluster-logging-operator/controllers/forwarding.(*ReconcileForwarder).Reconcile(0xc000700420, {0x30?, 0xc000588000?}, {{{0xc00063dfb0?, 0x0?}, {0xc000331060?, 0x412205?}}})
	/home/akaris/development/cluster-logging-operator/controllers/forwarding/forwarding_controller.go:115 +0xc35
sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller).Reconcile(0x1c0ab18?, {0x1c0ab18?, 0xc000b04d50?}, {{{0xc00063dfb0?, 0x1684940?}, {0xc000331060?, 0xc000c037d0?}}})
	/home/akaris/development/go/pkg/mod/sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.14.5/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:122 +0xb7
sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller).reconcileHandler(0xc000298460, {0x1c0ab50, 0xc0002a90e0}, {0x17b7fe0?, 0xc000332da0?})
	/home/akaris/development/go/pkg/mod/sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.14.5/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:323 +0x353
sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller).processNextWorkItem(0xc000298460, {0x1c0ab50, 0xc0002a90e0})
	/home/akaris/development/go/pkg/mod/sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.14.5/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:274 +0x1c9
sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller).Start.func2.2()
	/home/akaris/development/go/pkg/mod/sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.14.5/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:235 +0x79
created by sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller).Start.func2 in goroutine 107
	/home/akaris/development/go/pkg/mod/sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.14.5/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:231 +0x565
exit status 2
make: *** [Makefile:150: run] Error 1